GEORGE TOWN – Those who participated in Aidiladha prayers outside a surau in Taman Pelangi, Juru, yesterday may spark a fresh Covid-19 cluster, warned the Penang health exco.
Dr Norlela Ariffin said this could be the case even if they wore masks and practised social distancing.
“Our cases are so high now. I just hope that they did not shake hands before and after the prayers. I hope there is no spread if someone in the crowd is infected.
“We do not want any more infections or clusters because we want to progress to Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan. It’s not just about attaining high vaccination rates, but the Covid-19 caseload must also be low. If it remains high, it will take a longer time for us to reach Phase 3.”
Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman said virus standard operating procedures have been in place for over a year, and the congregants should be well aware of them.
“Although 48 out of the 49 remanded are non-citizens, the rules have been there for more than a year.
“I think they are fully aware of the SOPs. Don’t tell me that the non-citizens didn’t understand that they were not allowed to perform prayers at mosques or surau (that have reached maximum capacity). However, I believe there are other ways to reinforce understanding of such information among them.
“We are deciding to ease the rules, as what’s being looked into by the National Security Council and announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday, especially for people who have received both vaccine doses.”
He expressed hope that the SOPs in Penang will be relaxed soon in view of the state’s swift vaccination process.
Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto told The Vibes that the incident at the Juru surau is not isolated.
“Migrant workers and refugees alike have been law-abiding. They have not organised any large-scale events.
“The organiser of the gathering yesterday should have informed police, or asked locals to reach out to the authorities so that they could be present to conduct monitoring. The area next to them, Taman Nagasari, just came out of the EMCO (enhanced movement control order) on July 17.
“How do we know that there weren’t people with the pink or white (quarantine) wristbands there? We just want to safeguard the public and prevent clusters.”
Veteran social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the incident could have been avoided had the public alerted police straightaway instead of sharing images of the crowd on social media.
“The people gathered outside the surau could have dispersed quietly had there been a police presence.
“The Aidiladha prayers and cattle sacrifice are an important religious obligation for Muslims. But, the government barred gatherings for these to break the chain of infections as there has been a Covid-19 surge despite the lockdown.
“The non-citizens speak and understand Bahasa Malaysia, so you cannot say they didn’t know about the government ruling on limited congregation size. If locals can obey the rule, then why not non-citizens?
“It was a clear violation of the law. Police have to take action. Otherwise, people may question the double standards.”
A 22-second clip that made the rounds yesterday showed a large crowd outside the house of worship for the morning prayers.
Forty-eight Bangladeshis and a 64-year-old local man were today remanded to facilitate investigations. – The Vibes, July 21, 2021
Additional reporting by Aruldass Sinappan
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