U-turn: Some outdoor sports allowed in MCO areas tomorrow

Some outdoor sporting activities will be allowed in places under movement control order (MCO) beginning tomorrow, said the Youth and Sports Ministry in a statement today.

These are sports and recreation activities done in open areas without physical contact, such as jogging, cycling, and other forms of exercise.

However, those exercising must maintain physical distancing of at least 1.5m and they are limited to their own neighbourhoods and are not allowed to cross into other districts.

“Other allowances for the sports and recreational sector will be studied at the next National Security Council (NSC) technical meeting,” the ministry said in its Facebook post today.

The reversal came just a day after the NSC decided to suspend all sports and recreational activities in areas under MCO beginning today, including those conducted in open areas.

Earlier today, Youth and Sports Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican said he would seek new guidelines for sporting activities, though his deputy Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal defended the ban.

The ban was panned by infectious diseases experts who pointed out that the risk for Covid-19 infection from outdoor exercise was low.