Johor calls off 2020 Chingay Parade festival

JOHOR BAHRU, 12 Feb 2020:

The organisers of the 2020 Chingay Parade Festival here on Friday have called off the event after receiving advice from the Johor government.

Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Federation (JBTHF) said it had agreed to cancel the parade after considering the views of its affiliates as well as due to public interest.

The Menteri Besar’s office in a statement said the decision was made based on the Johor State Health Department’s (JKNJ) risk assessment of the COVID-19 infection (previously known as the 2019 novel coronavirus) as well as the difficulty to perform health screenings on all the visitors.

According to the statement, the measure was also taken after considering the fact security forces and the organisers could not determine the exact number of visitors expected to attend the parade.

“The state government considers this decision as a precautionary measure following fears of a large-scale infection spread if the procession continues.”

However, it said religious ceremonies in conjunction with Chingay on Feb 13 (tomorrow) and 15 (Saturday) would continue, but the organisers will need to provide the names and addresses of the participants involved to JKNJ as a precautionary measure.

JBTHF said those who wish to go to the temple for the religious ceremony must ensure they are healthy, and if not, you may watch the ceremony live on our social website,” said the federation’s president Ho Sow Tong during a press conference here today.

So far, 18 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Malaysia. Of these, 12 are Chinese citizens and six Malaysians. Of the 18 cases, three have fully recovered.

– Bernama