Contact sports among slew of SOP relaxations announced
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has announced a slew of new activities that will be allowed under the country’s Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Among others, various childcare facilities will be allowed to cater for children of working parents, provided that its operators and workers have been fully vaccinated.
In addition, contact sports will be allowed at both indoor and outdoor sports facilities in states under...
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has announced a slew of new activities that will be allowed under the country’s Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Among others, various childcare facilities will be allowed to cater for children of working parents, provided that its operators and workers have been fully vaccinated.
Contact sports will also be allowed at both indoor and outdoor sports facilities in states under Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), provided that the facility is monitored by staff.
The participants must be fully vaccinated as well.
In addition, Terengganu will transition to Phase 3 of the NRP on Friday. The SOPs in the state will be the same as other Phase 3 states.
Ismail Sabri said the decision to relax SOPs and transition Terengganu into Phase 3 of the NRP was made during a Pandemic Management Special Committee meeting today.
As the SOPs gradually relax, however, the prime minister said he noticed that some people have begun to neglect SOP compliance altogether.
“In that vein, I hope the people will comply with SOPs to break Covid-19’s chain of transmission.
“The government’s preparedness to allow more leniency does not mean we can neglect safety measures practised for more than a year.
“Therefore, I hope these relaxations can be benefited by the people with full discipline and a sense of responsibility," he said in a statement today.
The premier urged the public to follow all SOPs including the wearing of face masks, maintaining physical distancing, and always ensuring personal hygiene.
“Authorities will always be monitoring and will not hesitate to take stern action if anyone is found to have violated the guidelines,” he added.
For the record, the list of states and territories according to their NRP status is as follows:
Phase 1: Kedah and Johor.
Phase 2: Kelantan, Terengganu (until Friday), Pahang, Perak, Penang, Sabah, Malacca, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya.
Phase 3: Perlis, Sarawak, and Negeri Sembilan.
Phase 4: Labuan.
A person is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving the second dose of a two-dose vaccine (such as those from Pfizer, Sinovac, AstraZeneca), or 28 days after receiving a single-dose vaccine (such as those from CanSino Biologics).
Some highlights of the new relaxations:
- Driving and flying schools are allowed to operate in Phase 2 states.
- Kindergartens, daycare centres, and child development centres in Phase 1 and 2 states are allowed to cater for children of working parents.
- Fishing ponds are allowed to operate for fully vaccinated fishers. Ponds in Phase 1 states are allowed to cater for fishers from the same district from 6am until 8pm, while those in Phase 2 can cater for fishers from the same state from 6am until 10pm.
- Some sports activities can resume in Phase 2 and 3 states:
- Sports and recreational activities involving physical contact at sports facilities (both indoor and outdoor) for the fully vaccinated. This is to be done by reservation only and the facility is to be closely monitored.
- Team sports involving physical contact (such as football, volleyball, and sepak takraw) are allowed according to the sports facility’s full capacity but for fully vaccinated individuals only. The facility itself should be fully managed, which would exclude public fields.
- Individual fitness activities such as aerobics and Zumba can be done in groups, provided it does not exceed 50 percent of the facility’s capacity or 50 people (whichever is lower). The participants should be fully vaccinated and under an instructor’s supervision.
- Visiting graveyards in all states and territories is allowed in accordance to guidelines determined by state religious authorities (for Muslims) or the National Unity Ministry (for non-Muslims).
- Cruise ships are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity. All crew members and passengers must be fully vaccinated.
In-person meetings allowed starting Sept 17
The prime minister also announced some relaxations for the economic sector that will come into effect on Sept 17, including allowing face-to-face meetings to resume in Phase 2, 3, and 4 states provided that all participants have been fully vaccinated.
Private sector offices in Phase 2 are allowed to operate with 60 percent of their workers on-premises if 40 percent have been fully vaccinated, 80 percent capacity if 60 percent are fully vaccinated, and full capacity if 80 percent are fully vaccinated.
In addition, transportation for fully vaccinated workers in Phase 2 states is allowed to operate at 100 percent of the vehicle’s capacity.
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