[UPDATED] Up to 15 allowed to gather for CNY reunion dinner

PUTRAJAYA – Family reunion dinners on Chinese New Year Eve (February 11) will be allowed with up to 15 immediate family members living within a 10km radius without crossing districts and states, according to the National Unity Ministry.

Its minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique said the matter was agreed upon during the National Security Council (NSC) technical meeting today, chaired by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, reported Bernama.

The meeting also agreed that religious activities in temples are to be allowed on February 11, 12, and 19, subject to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs), including not having more than 30 people present at a time with physical distancing measures observed. The duration of prayer time allowed is 30 minutes, with another 30 minutes for sanitisation work between sessions.

Prayers at temples can be held from 6am to 2pm only, while night prayers for the Hokkien clan on February 19 can be held in the compounds of their respective homes.

Halimah said unity officers who have been appointed as monitoring officers under Section 3 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) would be monitoring SOP compliance.

She also urged the Chinese community in Malaysia to celebrate this year’s festival while adhering to new norms, maintaining personal hygiene, and observing physical distancing to help efforts in breaking the Covid-19 chain of infection.

The latest announcement by the ministry came following a slew of criticisms hurled at the government after Ismail first announced the SOPs last week.

He had announced a prohibition on reunion dinners this Chinese New Year, citing the need to curtail mass gatherings due to the high number of Covid-19 cases in the country. The government however opted to reopen previously closed economic sectors like night markets, hair salons, and car wash outlets, prompting public outcry.

The NSC also came under fire for its confusing SOPs on the celebrations, prompting several leaders calling for them to be retracted.

Among others, the SOPs stated that only family members within the same household were allowed to celebrate together, and that reunion dinners, traditionally held on the eve of Chinese New Year, could be held only on the first day of the festivities.

The previous SOPs had also allowed for the celebrations to be held into February 13. Temple prayers were not allowed for the public, but five committee members from each temple could do so.

Admitting clear flaws in the previous SOPs, Deputy National Unity Minister Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker in a Facebook post said that “someone has made a mistake” and called for the SOPs to be withdrawn and rectified. – The Vibes, February 7, 2021