New SOPs for non-Muslim houses of worship under MCO

The national unity ministry has set new SOPs for non-Muslim houses of worship following the enforcement of the nationwide movement control order from today until June 7.

In a statement, the ministry said amendments had been made to the existing SOPs for the opening of non-Muslim houses of worship, approved at a technical committee meeting with Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The number of worshippers now must not exceed 50 for premises that can accommodate more than 1,000 people while premises with a capacity of fewer than 1,000 worshippers are only allowed 20 people.

“The prayer time for non-Muslim houses of worship is from 6am to 2pm and 4pm to 10pm,” the ministry added.

Sanisation works must also be carried out for 30 minutes before and after activities are conducted.

According to the statement, unity officers appointed as monitoring officers under Section 3 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases 1988 (Act 342) will monitor compliance with the SOPs.

In the statement, National Unity Minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique also reminded all non-Muslim worshippers and management bodies to adhere to the SOPs and to wear face masks and maintain a safe distance to break the Covid-19 chain.