KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — Entertainment awards night Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian may proceed as scheduled as it was not prohibited under the conditional movement control order, said Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Responding to Malaysians who questioned why the awards show was permitted while the Malaysia Cup football tournament was barred during the CMCO, the minister said it was due to the nature of the two different events.

"Football has always been in the negative list under our SOPs which we made months ago.

"There are no way footballers can avoid physical contact and they have to cross state lines to play. When you’re sweating that much, the issue gets worse and you can’t use a mask and play,” said Ismail during his security briefing today.

As for the awards show, he said such events were included under the category of entertainment events that were allowed subject to SOPs.

Malaysians have alleged a double standard over the award show, but Ismail Sabri reiterated that it was easier to ensure that the event was compliant with measures to limit Covid-19 risks.