AVOID visits to the cemetery and people’s homes for Hari Raya this year, director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

He said it would be “best” if Muslims celebrating Aidilfitri could make this sacrifice as the country continues to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have to see how we can celebrate this Aidifitri without visits to homes and cemeteries,” he said at the daily press conference on Covid-19 today.

Malaysians have to accept this year’s festivities will be out of the norm but they can still enjoy celebrations with close members of their family, he added.

Noor Hisham said the advice not to visit cemeteries and homes was not a policy, but was being suggested in the interest of breaking the chain of Covid-19 transmissions.

“If we can adhere to the advice of the Health Ministry, we can break the chain of infections because Covid-19 is still in the community.

“If we are exposed, we will bring the virus back home and infect those who are at high risk,” he said.

Yesterday, Noor Hisham urged Malaysians to not to travel interstate for the festive period.

Malaysia today reported 47 new Covid-19 cases, 44 recoveries and zero new deaths, keeping total fatalities at 113.

Coronavirus cases in the country now total 6,941. Of these, 5,615 have recovered. – May 18, 2020.