KOTA BARU: Kelantan is the latest state after Sabah to cancel Ramadan bazaars following a surge in Covid-19 cases.
“We found that the infectivity rate has risen to 1.12 and this is regarded as serious, ” said Kelantan’s local government, housing and health committee chairman Dr Izani Husin.
“We also foresee that the number will increase and three-digit cases will continue to be recorded in the following week, ” Bernama quoted him as saying.
With the exception of important meetings, all official state government functions would also be cancelled during Ramadan, he told reporters after the state security council sub-committee meeting chaired by Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob at Kota Darulnaim Complex here yesterday.
Following the cancellation of the official programmes, the Madinah Ramadan venue for terawih prayers at Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium might be used as a Covid-19 Low-Risk Treatment and Quarantine Centre.
On March 29, Dr Izani said the Kelantan government would allow Ramadan bazaars to operate throughout the state with strict adherence to the standard operating procedure while the Madinah Ramadan programme could also be held with an attendance of 500, instead of 1,300 worshippers.
“I apologise to everyone for cancelling the programmes because they were set to be allowed when two-digit new Covid-19 cases were registered, ” he said.
On Saturday, Kelantan recorded 171 new Covid-19 cases but yesterday, the number dropped to 98. The total cumulative positive cases in the state now stands at 7,119.
For Sabah, the move to cancel Ramadan bazaars this year was due to the Covid-19 situation, said Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
He said the decision was made as the number of cases in the state was still fluctuating, with several new clusters emerging from public and social gatherings.
“Apart from that, the level of compliance with standard operating procedure among the people of Sabah is still low, ” he said in a statement on Friday.
This is the second year that Ramadan bazaars are not allowed in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Sarawak, no Ramadan bazaars will be held in the Satok, Semarak and Sukma Ria areas to prevent another wave of infections.
The Kuching North City Hall said on Wednesday that the organising of such bazaars would hamper the government’s efforts to put an end to the pandemic.-The Star