“The state government has made the decision not to allow Ramadan and Gawai bazaars this year because these two events come one after the other this year,” Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said at a press conference in Miri today.

He recommended that these Ramadan and Gawai bazaar traders instead sell their food products online.

Those who required assistance in terms of online sales may contact the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) for guidelines or small and medium enterprises in Sibu, Miri and Kuching, he added.

Yesterday, the Sabah government had also announced there would be no Ramadan bazaars in the state due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other states that have prohibited the month-long Ramadan bazaars include Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan.