Latest SOPs for Weddings in Malaysia

It’s a new year! With things seeing a better turn for the pandemic, it’s now a better time than before to get wed with your beloved.

But even though wedding ceremonies in Malaysia have been given the green light, there are still standard operating procedures (SOPs) to follow for your wedding. If you’re unsure about the latest SOPs to observe for your wedding in this new normal, then this is the blog for you!

Let’s get started.

What are the latest SOPs?

As per the Phase 4 guidelines of the National Recovery Plan, wedding ceremonies are now allowed (hooray!). But there are some conditions to observe:

• All individuals need to be fully-vaccinated.
• Only 50% of venue capacity may be used.
• Physical distancing must be observed.

Delving deeper into that, here are also the more in-depth protocols to observe for your wedding in this new normal.

For guests:

• All attendees must register their attendance and their presence should be recorded. Likewise, guests should also scan QR codes via their MySejahtera app.
• Guests who measure a temperature higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius and / or showing symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath are not allowed to enter the venue.
• Anyone classified as a Patient Under Investigation (PUI) or Person Under Surveillance (PUS) may not be allowed to attend.
• All guests should wear face masks when attending. Wearing of face shields and gloves may also be encouraged.
• All guests must regularly their hands with hand sanitizer or disinfecting wipes.
• Guests with infants and children as well as those with chronic diseases are not encouraged to attend.

For the wedding staff:

• Persons-in-charge must register the attendance, details, and health status of every guest.
• Organizers and chaperones should monitor the flow of guests and any potentially-risky activity.
• All wedding staff must undergo health screening tests before the wedding. Those who exhibit symptoms of illness are not allowed to be present on the big day.

For the venue:

• Entry and exit points must be established clearly for guests to follow, especially for open-air areas with no specific entrance (beach, outdoor courtyards, gardens, etc.).
• Designated seating arrangements should be made for guests.
• Regular cleaning and disinfection must be carried out at the wedding venue.
• The venue should be well-ventilated with a proper flow of air.
• Tables and chairs will need to be spaced 2 meters and 1 meter apart from each other respectively.
• Gatherings of any sort are not allowed.

As can be seen above, the current SOPs for weddings in Malaysia aren’t too different from the ones during the first few MCOs! Just that things are a little laxer now for the new normal.

Tips on how to adhere to SOPs

While adhering to SOPs isn’t a difficult task on your own, it can be hard to make sure that all your guests do the same during your wedding, especially with everyone still getting accustomed to the new normal. 

Thus, here are a couple of tips for having a wonderful and SOP-compliant wedding ceremony.

1. Keep the guest list short

While wanting all your beloved friends and family members at your big day is understandable, only 50% venue capacity available means that you should only invite the most important people to your wedding! 

Consider keeping a shorter guest list of close friends and important family members, like your parents, siblings, and a few relatives that you’re close with. It’s safer for everyone and less of a headache for you to keep things in order during the wedding. 

2. Require guests to undergo screening tests

Infected individuals don’t always show symptoms right away, and some never even do. But they’re infected nonetheless, and that’s not something you should take chances with.

If possible, have all your guests undergo screening tests before your wedding, or at the very least a self-test. You can double up on the precautionary measures by ensuring that everyone has to test negative for the virus and show proof for it before they can attend the wedding.

3. Serve food via a sit-down banquet

With the pandemic still fresh, it’s not the best idea to host a buffet or dome setting where everybody helps themselves to the food. All your guests will inevitably mingle with one another and that’s a big health risk. 

Instead, have your wedding meal served as a sit-down banquet where food is served directly to your seated guests. Alternatively, you can also pre-package wedding meals into individual servings. These will help make for a safer eating environment for everyone.

4. Make it easier for your guests to follow SOPs 

Sometimes, it can be hard for people to follow SOPs when faced with circumstances like small venues, lack of hand sanitizer stations, poor enforcement, and so on. These won’t make it easier for people to adhere to SOPs and it can likely lead to guests just ignoring SOPs outright.

If you can help it, it’s a good idea to take your own steps to make it easier for your guests to follow SOPs. These can include choosing more spacious venues, enforcing social distancing guidelines through clear markers, handing out face masks, placing reminder signs, and hiring extra help. This way, everyone will be more inclined to follow the SOPs.

5. Restrict potentially-risky activities

Activities like having drinks, meet-and-greets, and group photography are commonplace for weddings. However fun they may be, they also increase the chances of transmitting the virus to others, especially when everyone bunches up together.

For everyone’s welfare, consider limiting these activities, or at the very least, make it so that they are compliant with SOPs. For example, if you really need to take that group photo, do it in small groups with everyone spaced apart instead of one take for one huge crowd.

Final thoughts

As it stands, the latest SOPs see slightly more eased restrictions compared to before, but the overall SOPs are still mostly similar to the ones we have now. Even so, it’s just as important to ensure everyone follows the SOPs – it’s not just for their safety, but yours as well. It is the new normal, after all, and there’s no harm in having a wedding that follows it.