By Karen Bong
SIBU, Jan 28: There will be no Chinese New Year nor Valentine’s Day celebrations in Sibu due to the Covid-19 outbreak and current Movement Control Order (MCO).
Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting reminded Sibu folks that it is not safe to hold celebrations even if it is the most celebratory time of the year for the Chinese community.
“Furthermore, traditional fairs and celebrations of Chinese New Year throughout Sarawak have been scaled down and it will not be a boisterous one as well due to the Conditional MCO.
“So for those celebrating, keep the reunion dinner gathering simple and small and limited to family members in the same household only,” he advised when contacted by DayakDaily today.
Sibu folks will also have to skip Valentine’s Day celebration this year as MCO would only end on Feb 14 at 11.59pm.
Even though State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas has said that the trend of Covid-19 cases in Sarawak was decreasing, Ting however urged people in Sibu to stay at home and comply with the standard operating procedure (SOP) as Sibu still records the highest number of cases in recent weeks.
“It is up to all of us in Sibu to follow the SOP strictly and stay at home because only then we can flatten the curve and overcome this so that we can move out of MCO and go back to our daily lives in a safe environment,” he added.
Meanwhile, for the rest of Sarawak under CMCO, Chinese New Year which falls on Feb 12 this year will be a quiet family affair.
SDMC had announced that Chinese New Year can only be celebrated on the first day with strict restrictions.
According to the SOP issued, only a maximum of 20 family members are allowed to gather for reunion dinner.
Lion and dragon dance, open house, visiting, gathering in restaurants, bazaars as well as celebrations at temples and public places are not allowed altogether.
It is also compulsory for house owners to prepare the necessary to keep a record of visitors including check-in via MySejahtera or COVIDTrace or Qmunity apps or manual record of details, taking body temperature and ensure seating arrangement in compliance with physical distancing of at least one metre. — DayakDaily
