THERE will be no more Ramadan bazaars in the districts under the movement control order (MCO) in Selangor from this Saturday, Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said.

Amirudin also announced that restaurant dine-ins and hotel buffets would not be allowed in the state beginning tomorrow.

However, restaurants will still be able to operate between 6am and midnight for takeaways.

Amirudin said the decision was made today by the Selangor Security Council after noticing an increase of new Covid-19 cases linked to Ramadan bazaars.

“There will be no more Ramadan bazaars starting Saturday (May 8). Traders will still have two days to clear what is needed.

“The decision is not cruel. There are five days left before Hari Raya and in total, traders have had 25 days,” said Amirudin.

“There are many cases in Selangor linked to Ramadan bazaars, therefore we have agreed to close the bazaars.”

Amirudin also announced that the state will compensate 11,000 licensed traders who have applied for Ramadan bazaar permits.

“We have their records and we will compensate them RM500 each. We hope that will help them cover their losses.”

“The state will spend at least RM5 million to help all 11,000 affected traders,” he said.

Meanwhile, as for pasar malam (night market) or Hari Raya bazaars, Amirudin said traders can still operate but have to comply with strict procedures.

“If previously, there is no capacity limit, this time there will be. If one premises can fit 100 people, only 50 people are allowed in at one time. It depends on the size of the premises or building but only half can enter,” he said.

This coincides with the MCO which will be enforced in six districts in Selangor from tomorrow till May 17 to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.

The six districts are Hulu Langat, Petaling, Gombak, Klang, Kuala Langat and Sepang.

Three other districts in Selangor will still be under conditional MCO. They are Kuala Selangor, Sabak Bernam and Hulu Selangor. – May 5, 2021.