KUALA LUMPUR: The authorities in Melaka and Negri Sembilan have warned that they will cancel Ramadan bazaars if people disregard the standard operating procedures (SOP) implemented by the National Security Council (NSC) to curb Covid-19 infections.
Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali said he would bring the matter to the state Covid-19 committee meeting if more cases of SOP violations were found following a case of overcrowding at a Ramadan bazaar in Melaka, which was reported on Tuesday.
"I received complaints about people not adhering to the SOP when purchasing things at Ramadan bazaars on the first day of fasting.
"We will first scrutinise the bazaar organisers. If we find that people had failed to adhere to the SOP at the bazaar, we will take action against them. We will either cancel the bazaars or let other organisers who can manage the bazaar (according to the SOP) take over.
"I will bring the matter to the state Covid-19 committee meeting and talk to the local councils that issued the permits to bazaar organisers," he said yesterday.
Sulaiman said organisers needed to have better preventive measures in place to prevent the further spreading of Covid-19.
"We must limit the number of people allowed at a stall at any one time. Only two sellers are allowed to man each stall. We must also limit the number of patrons, according to the stall's size.
He said organisers could also engage with the People's Volunteer Corps by placing one officer at every stall to control people's movement.
"I don't want to see this recur. It could lead to serious health issues and we could end up dealing with a spike in (Covid-19) again in Melaka."
On Tuesday, pictures of large crowds at the Taman Rambai Jaya Ramadan bazaar in Melaka went viral on social media.
In the widely circulated photos, although the public were seen wearing face masks, the huge crowd in tight areas made it impossible for physical distancing to be observed.
Melaka police chief Datuk Abdul Majid Mohd Ali said police had held a meeting with the NSC, local councils and other agencies following police surveillance, which found that there was low SOP compliance on the first day of fasting.
"Police conducted rounds at bazaars in Melaka on Tuesday, and the SOP compliance was lacking, especially in terms of physical distancing," he said.
"We will have a meeting with the NSC, local governments and other agencies involved in the enforcement this (yesterday) afternoon to discuss the matter."
The organiser of the Taman Rambai Jaya Ramadan bazaar gave an assurance that what happened on Tuesday would not happen again and there would be better cooperation with the police and local authorities.
The organiser's spokesman, Ismail Adnan, said preparations had been made to ensure that people adhered to the SOP.
"It's unfair to say that the SOP was not in place at the bazaar. We had prepared all necessary equipment, including having dividers at the entrance.
"I apologise for what happened yesterday (Tuesday), but we could not control the situation after a huge crowd turned up at the bazaar around 6pm."
"We hope the situation will improve after this.
"I urge everybody to comply with the SOP," he said, adding that the cancellation of the bazaar would negatively affect the small traders who were struggling to get back on their feet.
In Negri Sembilan, Jempol district Disaster Management committee chairman Syahrul Nizam Saleh warned that the committee would cancel Ramadan bazaars that failed to follow the SOP.
"Based on our observation, among the SOP violations detected were the failure to observe physical distancing. Also, people did not use the designated entrances and exits.
"Organisers must beef up their safety control measures to make sure that the SOP is adhered to. Also, organisers need to limit the patrons at any one time to prevent the bazaar from becoming too crowded."
In Nilai, district police chief Superintendent Mohd Fazley Ab Rahman also reminded the public to appreciate the permission given by the authorities to reopen bazaars.
He said this appreciation must be shown through strict adherence to the SOP at all times, adding that negligence on visitors' part will only lead to the spread of the virus.
"Ramadan bazaar visitors must realise that the efforts to break the chain of infection are ongoing. This is why they should obey the SOP," he said after the 'Op Pematuhan SOP' event at the Bandar Baru Nilai Ramadan bazaar.
He was responding to reports on SOP violations at some Ramadan bazaars on the first day of fasting on Tuesday.
"Our observation shows that visitors are adhering to the SOP at this particular bazaar, but we cannot discount the possibility of overcrowding due to the people's excitement at other bazaars."
Fazley also urged Ramadan bazaar organisers to come up with an emergency plan so that they could be better prepared for any eventuality. Additional reporting by Mohd Amin Jalil and Abnor Hamizam Abd Manap