JOHOR BAHRU: Four Ramadan bazaars in the state were ordered to close with immediate effect as a precautionary measure, after they were found to have been visited by individuals who are suspected of having contracted Covid-19.
State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Ayub Jamil said two of the bazaars were in areas under the Johor Bahru City Council’s (MBJB) administration, namely in Kampung Pasir, Jalan Mata Kuching and @Mart Kempas.
He said the other two were the Belatuk Ramadan bazaar, Taman Scientex, an area under the jurisdiction of the Pasir Gudang City Council and the Lok Heng Ramadan bazaar in the Kota Tinggi District Council area.
“The closure period of all the bazaars is subject to the risk assessment conducted by the State Health Department.
“Based on the records obtained from the MySejahtera application, there are individuals who are suspected of being Covid-19 positive and have visited the bazaars. As the first preventive step, we decided to stop the operations of the bazaars,” he said when contacted here today.
A total of 193 Ramadan and Aidilfitri bazaars, involving 9,609 stalls are allowed to operate in 16 Local Authority (PBT) areas in Johor, this year.
In Perak, the Nenas Ramadan bazaar Kampung Selabak, Teluk Intan has been ordered to close temporarily from tomorrow to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Perak State Housing, Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohamed Radzi said the Teluk Intan Municipal Council received the closure order letter from the Housing and Local Government Ministry this morning.
The Ramadan bazaar, which is organised by a non -governmental organisation, would be closed until a date to be announced later, she said when contacted by Bernama today.
A closure notice containing a list of Ramadan Bazaars nationwide which have been identified as Covid-19 high-risk areas, went viral on social media today.
Perak recorded 118 new Covid-19 positive cases today compared with 91 reported yesterday, bringing the cumulative total to 14,749.
In Penang, six Ramadan bazaars in the state were ordered to close today due to the Covid-19 infection.
Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said four Ramadan bazaars on the island have been ordered to stop operations for three days from May 2.
“The bazaars are located in Kampung Melayu, in front of the Taman Tun Sardon market, at the Masjid Daerah Barat Daya compound and in front of Kompleks Bukit Gedung,” he said in a statement today.
Meanwhile on the mainland, Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud said two bazaars have been ordered to close, namely the Attakwa Ramadan bazaar in Taman Bertam Indah and the MPKK Ramadan bazaar in Jalan Tenggiri.
“The Covid-19 crisis management task force meeting has decided that MBSP can give permission to the bazaar organisers to operate at new locations in compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set.
“Apart from providing the MySejahtera QR Code, taking body temperatures of all visitors and providing hand sanitisers, the organisers must ensure that only one person from a family is allowed to enter the bazaar and appoint additional staff to ensure that stalls will not be too crowded,” he said. — Bernama
