KL City Hall intervenes after video of crowds at 'Ramadan bazaar' goes viral

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said on May 11 that it had to intervene after a viral video showing crowds of people congregating near a stretch of roadside food stalls. 

They did not observe social distancing while purchasing food to break their fast.

Acknowledging public concerns over possible Covid-19 infections, DBKL gave reassurance on its Facebook page that the situation had returned to normal after police and DKBL personnel showed up at the scene to control the crowd.

"The public is reminded to always maintain social distancing and personal hygiene wherever they are. There is no need to constantly remind the public that self-discipline must be shouldered by all," it said in a statement.

The 13-second-long video clip which recently went viral on Twitter depicted large crowds of people walking along the roadside food stalls in Desa Pandan, without paying any heed to the containment standard operating procedures (SOP) put in place under the conditional movement control order (CMCO).

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/dbkl2u/posts/2356804764612676[/embed]

The narrator of the video clip was heard commenting in jest that Ramadan bazaars have resumed operations, before asking bemusedly whether the CMCO is in effect or not.

While the Malaysian government has allowed most economic sectors to resume operations gradually, Ramadan bazaars are still banned during the conditional movement control order period.

melinamoey@asiaone.com

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