JOHOR BARU, Feb 12 ― The Johor government called on the Johor Baru Chingay Parade 2020 organisers to cancel the annual event scheduled for this Friday to curb the infectious coronavirus from spreading further.
The Johor Mentri Besar’s Office (MBO) said that the state government does not encourage the event as the health authorities would be overtaxed trying to screen everyone for Covid-19.
“This decision is based on the risk assessment conducted by the Johor Health Department, as well as the inability to perform a large scale health screening checks for all visitors.
“Even those in charge of the event’s security and the organisers are unable to identify the exact number of visitors expected to attend the parade,” it said in a statement.
Preparations have long started for the annual Johor Baru Chingay Parade 2020 this weekend, which will mark the 150th edition of the festival since it was first held in 1870.
The parade celebrates five deities representing Johor Baru’s five Chinese clan associations — the Teochew, Hokkien, Hainan, Hakka and Cantonese.
The MBO said the decision to not endorse the event, as well as advising the organisers to cancel it was a precautionary measure following fears of a large-scale outbreak if the parade went ahead.
“However, the religious ceremonies in conjunction with parade on February 13 and 15 can continue, but the organisers will need to provide a list of names and the complete address of each participant to be submitted to the Johor Health Department as a precautionary measure,” added the statement.
The state government also advised those who are not directly involved in the Chingay ceremony or parade to abstain from attending the event for their own health.
Malaysia’s Covid-19 cases remained at 18 today.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad announced no new cases were recorded today, adding that 550 people have been tested to date.
The Johor Baru Chingay Parade is organised by the Johor Baru Tiong Hua Association and will be on a smaller scale this year due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
The iconic event has drawn crowds as large as 400,000 people previously and has been recognised by the Malaysia National Cultural Heritage since 2012.
