ALOR STAR – Thirteen individuals who performed Friday prayers at a mosque in Kuala Kedah near here yesterday were compounded a total of RM19,500 for violating the standard operating procedures (SOP) of the movement control order (MCO).
Kota Setar police chief Ahmad Shukri Mat Akhir said, acting on public information, three Op Covid-19 monitoring teams, along with a team from the Home Ministry, arrived at the mosque about 2pm and found 34 individuals, including children, inside the premises.
“We let them complete their prayers first before taking action. They observed physical distancing and wore masks during prayers but violated the SOP regarding the number of congregation members,” he said.
The MCO SOPs state that only 13 people comprising mosque officers and committee member are allowed to perform Friday prayers at mosques and surau in the state.
Shukri said of the 34 people, police issued RM1,500 compounds each to 13 individuals aged between 18 and 82 years old.
He said a compound of RM10,000 was also issued to the mosque for failing to ensure compliance with the SOPs.
Shukri said several other congregation members comprising the disabled, elderly and children, were not compounded as they had reasonable grounds.
In the meantime, he said there are still those giving lame excuses or pretending not to know about the SOPs, even though the Covid-19 pandemic situation has been dragging on for quite some time in the country. – Bernama, June 26, 2021
