Families set Covid-19 house rules for Raya

Happy home: Khairie Rizky (right) with his grandmother Hasnah and family members in Penang. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star

BALIK PULAU: Fifteen extended family members are returning home to meet their elders here, and the house rule is that everyone must be free of Covid-19.

For the past week, technician Mohd Zain Abdullah said his four siblings plus numerous nieces, nephews and cousins have been reminding each other to be extra cautious before Hari Raya.

“We kept reminding each other to wear face masks in bazaars and shopping areas.

“It is our responsibility to celebrate safely,” he said, adding that the most senior of his extended family, his grandparents, are in their 90s, so it is everyone’s duty to keep the virus out.

Mohd Zain, 45, added that anyone feeling unwell before their journey is required to alert the family and take a Covid-19 test.

“We look forward to Hari Raya, but the virus is still out there. Even though we are vaccinated, it is better to be careful,” he said.

In George Town’s Kampung Dodol, an even larger family is all set for their Hari Raya – 50 of them across four generations.

They are returning to meet 88-year-old grandmother Hasnah Che Din.

Hasnah’s grandson, Khairie Rizky Ahmad Fazli, 32, who is a costume designer in film productions, said their rule is that everyone is free to go as long as they do not have symptoms.

“Last year, we made it compulsory for everyone to do a prior Covid-19 self-test as there were elderly relatives,” he said.