KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — The traditional bazaars and Terawih mass prayers will be allowed nationwide during Ramadan and Aidilfitri this year, subject to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs), according to Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob .
He today said the SOPs for the bazaars include that they must be held in open spaces, have separate entrances and exits, and limits on the number of entrants who will also have to register with the MySejahtera app before entering the premises.
“The operation time for Ramadan bazaars are between 3pm and 8pm, and for Aidilfitri bazaars are between 10am and 12am midnight,” he said during a press conference today.
Last year, the Muslim holy months of Ramadan and Aidilfitri were observed while the country was under a national lockdown following the imposition of the first movement control order (MCO).
Ismail Sabri added that other details, such as the locations and allowable sizes of the bazaars along with the number of stalls will be determined later by the local authorities in each individual state.
Similarly, he said the number of people allowed to congregate for the Terawih mass prayers will be decided by individual state religious authorities.
Ismail Sabri also disclosed that 134 people were arrested yesterday for SOP violations under the various movement control orders, for offences such as not registering or preparing registration equipment at a business premise, not wearing face masks, and attempting to cross state or district borders without permission.
