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It's Official: There Will Be No Ramadan Bazaars Throughout MCO

The Movement Control Order (MCO) is in effect till 14 April.

Cover image via Astro Awani & Ghazali Kori/New Straits TImes

There will be no Ramadan bazaars in Malaysia throughout the Movement Control Order (MCO) period, scheduled to end on 14 April

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today, 3 April, said that a special Cabinet committee has made the decision to not allow any Ramadan bazaars across the nation during the MCO period.

"We decided in the meeting this morning that as long as the MCO is in effect, all Ramadan bazaars will not be permitted," Ismail said during a press conference today.

Image via Astro Awani

He said that if the MCO is not extended, the government will come up with a post-MCO standard operating procedure (SOP)

"After that, if there is no extension to the order, the National Security Council will come up with a post-MCO SOP. This will, among others, determine if Ramadan bazaars can operate," he said.

Ramadan in Malaysia starts on Thursday, 23 April

The gap between the scheduled end of MCO and the expected start of Ramadan is just a week.

States such as Selangor, Penang, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, and Terengganu have already cancelled Ramadan bazaars for this year, while Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has decreed that Ramadan bazaars should not be held during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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