Celebrations for Hari Raya in Sarawak limited to first day and close family only - The Star Online

KUCHING: The Hari Raya celebration in Sarawak is now limited to the first day of Syawal and only for immediate family members, says the state disaster management committee.

The committee said the Sarawak Islamic Council agreed to amend the Raya standard operating procedures (SOP) after assessing the Covid-19 situation in the state.

“The celebration is allowed on the first day only, with attendance limited to the closest family members.

“The detailed SOP will be available on the council’s website at mis.sarawak.gov.my,” the committee said in a statement on Monday (May 10).

The council’s initial guidelines issued on Tuesday (May 4) allowed the Aidilfitri celebration among immediate family members for the first seven days, with the number of guests capped at 50% of the home’s capacity with physical distancing.

The SOP was then revised the following day to shorten the celebration to the first three days before this latest revision which comes after Sarawak reported 649 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths on Monday.

This takes the state’s cumulative tally to 35,809 cases with 209 fatalities.

The committee also said two new community clusters involving longhouses were identified in Tatau and Selangau.

It said the Ulu Anap cluster in Tatau currently had 19 confirmed cases after the affected longhouse was placed under the enhanced movement control order and targeted screening carried out.

In Selangau, the Emperan cluster involved three longhouses with 97 confirmed cases to date.

There are now 78 active clusters in the state, including 17 which recorded a total of 150 new cases.