KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — Malaysians cannot host any open house events at all for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations this year, the government announced today.
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob however said that house visits and grave visits are allowed with conditions, depending on the type of movement control orders imposed on the locations — movement control order (MCO), conditional movement control order (CMCO), recovery movement control order (RMCO), enhanced movement control order (EMCO).
“The organising of open house, whether in MCO, EMCO, CMCO and RMCO are not allowed, so the organising of open house is not allowed this year, this is the SOP for Hari Raya Aidilfitri,” he said.
As for Hari Raya visits, Ismail Sabri it is only allowed in MCO areas on the first day of Hari Raya, with guests not exceeding 15 persons at any one time, but subject to the size of the residence with physical distancing to be practised.
“For CMCO and RMCO, visits are allowed from 1 to 3 Syawal (the first to third day of Raya), but with the numbers limited to 20 persons at any one time for CMCO, and with the numbers not exceeding 25 persons at any one time for RMCO areas,” he said, but added that this would be subject to the space available in such residence allowing for physical distancing.
But for EMCO areas, Ismail Sabri said house visits are not allowed and that families are to celebrate with their own family members in the same house.
“This means that they are not allowed to come out from their homes and carry out visits,” he said of those living in EMCO areas.
He said house visit hosts are encouraged to prepare equipment to measure body temperature and that it would be even better if they could prepare a MySejahtera QR code or to prepare a booklet to record the names and phone numbers of visitors to enable close contact tracing of guests who visited to celebrate Hari Raya.
As for graveyard visits by Muslims, Ismail Sabri said it is allowed for CMCO and RMCO areas with the condition that not more than six persons are present for one lot of grave and with visits not exceeding 30 minutes, while grave visits are not allowed at all for MCO and EMCO areas.
About Muslim prayers during Hari Raya
With Hari Raya Aidilfitri to be celebrated on May 13, Ismail Sabri said the National Security Council (NSC) had looked at the recommendations by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), and had agreed on various SOPs involving prayers by Muslims in line with the celebrations.
Ismail Sabri said the NSC had agreed that the takbir raya prayers is allowed in mosques or surau in MCO, CMCO, RMCO areas, but that the actual SOPs would be subject to the state Islamic religious authorities as Islamic matters fall under state jurisdictions.
As for the practice of takbir prayers from home to home, this would not be allowed nationwide, regardless of whether a place is under MCO, CMCO, RMCO or EMCO, he said.
He said solat sunat Hari Raya prayers would be allowed in mosques and surau for MCO, CMCO and RMCO areas, but with the total number of those allowed to be present including the participation of men, women and child congregants to be subject to the Islamic religious authorities of the respective states and which would typically be notified to each mosque and surau.
In EMCO areas however, the takbir Raya in mosques and solat sunat Hari Raya in mosques are not allowed, he said.
As for feasts after the solat sunat Hari Raya at mosques and surau, Ismail Sabri said the NSC has decided that such feasts would not be allowed for MCO and EMCO areas, but would be allowed in CMCO and RMCO areas subject to the state Islamic religious authorities and the committee of the mosque or surau.
He however said that it is encouraged that the food be packed and distributed for Muslim congregants to bring home instead of at mosques in CMCO and RMCO areas.
Based on the latest government gazette of regulations made by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba on May 1, places under MCO now are Kelantan until May 17, Pahang’s Gali and Tras mukim in the Raub district until May 13, five districts in Kedah (Kota Setar, Kuala Muda, Bandar Baharu, Baling and Kulim) until May 14.
Also in the latest government gazette dated May 1, places under CMCO now are five states (Johor, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor) and Kuala Lumpur and the Seremban district in Negri Sembilan until May 17, and Pahang’s Raub district except for the Gali and Tras mukim until May 13.
Today, it was announced that six districts in Selangor (Hulu Langat, Petaling, Gombak, Klang, Kuala Langat and Sepang) would no longer be under CMCO, but would be placed under MCO from May 6 to May 17.
In another government gazette dated May 1, places under a recovery movement control order (RMCO) now until May 17 are Kedah (except the five districts under MCO), Melaka, Negri Sembilan (except Seremban district), Pahang (except the Raub district), Perak, Perlis, Terengganu, Putrajaya and Labuan.
