Stephanie Dimah
No rman Shane Nyigor
KUCHING: The decision by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to only allow Christmas celebrations to be held on the first day, and for private gatherings or visits to be limited to only 20 persons at a time, has saddened some who are used to celebrating the occasion with their family, relatives and friends.
One of them, Stephanie Dimah, said it has always been her family’s tradition to get together and share the Christmas joy with each other.
“When we gather, it always ends up as a big group. A lot of time it is more than 20 people because we are a big family,” said the 39-year-old who is self-employed.
“The SDMC’s decision will make this Christmas feel more ‘lonely’, but I understand the need for the SOP to be put in place which is to protect us all.”
For Norman Shane Nyigor, 37, he regarded SDMC’s decision as fair in view of the current Covid-19 situation in the country.
He said the people should look at it as just another sacrifice that needed to be made this year in the effort to curb the spread of the virus
Norman, who works in Kuala Lumpur, said the current Covid-19 situation in Peninsular Malaysia means he would not be flying back to celebrate Christmas with his family this year.
“Of course I’m sad at not being able to be with my family. I usually fly back to Sarawak during this holiday period but due to the situation at hand, I’ll be spending time with my friends and some relatives here (Kuala Lumpur) while keeping the SOP in check,” he said.
Meanwhile, Then Chen Ping said with Covid-19 wreaking havoc all over the world and affecting so many lives, he feels blessed just to be able to spend time with family members, friends and loved ones regardless of the size of the group.
The 37-year-old Kuchingite said his Christmas celebration usually involved dinner with family and friends on Christmas Eve, while indulging in Christmas-themed movies at home on Dec 25.
“I believe we should look at the decision by SDMC to limit the size of gatherings this Christmas in a more positive light.
“Whether we are celebrating in a smaller group or even alone, as a Christian I believe that we are never truly alone as God is with us,” he said.
SDMC on Dec 18 announced that Christians in the state would only be allowed to hold Christmas celebrations on the first day, and that private gatherings or visits would be limited to only 20 close family members at a time.