KUALA LUMPUR: Families celebrating Chinese New Year are allowed to hold reunion dinners, albeit limited to close and immediate family members with no attendance limits on the night of Jan 31.
National Unity Minister Datuk Seri Halimah Mohamed Sadique said visiting activities are also allowed in the spirit of the celebrations, from Jan 31 until Feb 15.
She said other activities allowed for this year's celebrations include prayers at houses of worship, receptions in closed areas with limited guests, as well as lion dance performances.
"Prayers, including Chap Goh Mei prayers among other religious activities at houses of worships are allowed on Feb 1 and 2, with strict adherence to the safety standard operating procedure (SOP).
"The Hokkien clan are also allowed to perform their special prayers on Feb 8 and 9, at houses of worship or within the proximity of their own home," she told reporters at the ministry's headquarters in Putrajaya, today.
Halimah said the activities are allowed with strict adherence to the SOP outlined by National Security Council (NSC), especially on physical distancing rules.
"The operators of houses of worship must screen the devotees' temperature upon entrance, record their attendance through MySejahtera check-ins, or prepare a logbook for manual check-ins for those who do not have MySejahtera applications in their phones.
"Only those who have completed their vaccination cycles are allowed to enter, and they must adhere to the 1m social distancing rules and wear face masks at all times.
"The authorities will be doing rounds at the temples, and action will be taken if they fail to comply with the SOPs," she said.
Asked about the SOP for lion or dragon dance performances, Halimah said the performers must adhere to the SOP outlined by the Communications and Multimedia Ministry when doing their live performances.
Halimah said no Chinese New Year open houses are allowed for this year's celebration.
"However, we allow those celebrating to have a Chinese New Year reception, with limited invites up to 50 per cent of the areas' capacity, including social distancing rules.
"Multiple receptions are not allowed, so the receptions must be done in one session," she said.
Also present was Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, who said that the SOP was decided after three rounds of discussions with various stakeholders.
He said MCA will be organising a closed Chinese New Year reception this year, with limited invites.
"We have to show a good example to the public by adhering to the SOP for this year's celebration. Our secretary-general will announce more information on the reception soon," he said.
