KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The Selangor Education Department is ordering all schools in Selangor to close starting tomorrow until after the Hari Raya holidays are over.

It comes a day earlier than the scheduled festive season break which was meant to start from May 7 until 15. 

The order comes amid the movement control order (MCO) imposed in six districts in Selangor following a spike in cases the past two weeks.

"The Education Ministry and the National Security Council have recommended that we shut schools in Selangor from May 6 to 12 in order to curb the spread of Covid-19. Seeing as there are only two days left before the Hari Raya Aidilfitri break, we decided to close all schools in Selangor on May 6 and 7.

"The school closures will continue until after the Aidilfitri break and will resume in the same way the ministry mentioned on April 26,” the department’s head Haji Izmi Ismail said in a statement today.

Apart from that, Izmi said boarding school students can return home as per their schools’ schedule and the parents and guardians need to adhere to the schedule.

The festive season is scheduled to start for Group A schools (Kelantan, Johor, Terengganu) from May 7 until 15 while for Group B schools (Selangor, Perak, Perlis, Negri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Sabah, Sarawak, Pahang) from May 8 until 16.

Following the end of the holidays, the education ministry decided that all lessons will be done virtually the following two weeks.

This is to mitigate any chances of the virus spreading.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri will be celebrated on May 13 and 14.