KUALA LUMPUR: The police will be patrolling residential areas and villages to ensure the Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) are complied with during the Deepavali holidays.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the decision was similar to the regulation during Hari Raya Aidil Adha celebration to ensure people's compliance to the SOP and prevent them from crossing districts and state borders.
"During Hari Raya Aidil Adha, we received a number of reports that the public tried to cross the state border to return to their hometowns during the holidays," he said.
Ismail Sabri said residents living in areas placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) were not allowed to leave their houses and home celebrations are limited to family members only.
"Those living in states placed under the Conditional MCO (CMCO), are allowed to celebrate Deepavali with not more than 20 guests who are family members.
"For worshippers at the temple, please be reminded to always adhere to the SOP," he said.
The current guideline allows 30 people to pray at any one time according to the size of the temple to enable physical distancing to take place.
Prayers will be spread out into five sessions from 7am to noon.
Ismail Sabri said the police would also mount additional roadblocks during Deepavali celebrations at toll plaza areas as well as district and state borders.
He said current traffic flow on the eve of Deepavali was still under control and no traffic congestion had been reported as of today.