Izah Azahari
The 30-person limit during gatherings at private homes is applicable to both indoor and outdoor events, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah said.
The minister said this to further elaborate on the updated guidelines for mass gatherings in private homes announced on March 4.
Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew said it is common for a household to already have more than a dozen people living under one roof, and the 30-person limit will include them.
“It is better if the event is held outdoors and those inside the house are limited, and it is also subject to the size of the premises,” the minister added.
On screening the guests using antigen rapid test (ART) at the entrance, Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar said it is best carried out before the individual departs their homes to avoid contact with event hosts and other attendees than to be tested positive on arrival.
Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham also noted of some wedding ceremonies where hosts instruct the guests on the proper self-administration of ART screening and take photos of the results. Guests need to write the date, their names and IC numbers to ensure their validity.
“This is where people are being socially responsible to ensure that other people do not take or share the ART result,” he said, adding that those who share ART results are deceiving themselves, the nation and society.
The minister urged the public to continue complying with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) when attending the events, including maintaining a social distance, wearing face masks, avoid physical contact such as shaking hands and hugging, and placing a BruHealth QR code to aid the Ministry of Health in tracing primary contacts.
“What matters the most is their honesty in making sure they carry out the ART screening that day, which is better done at home, take a photo of the result and then show the host.
He said, “Hosts should also disseminate to guests on how to properly carry out the
COVID tests”.
