BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jul 17 (NNN-ANN) – Brunei celebrated Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah’s 75th birthday on Thursday, with various activities, including a ceremonial parade and an investiture ceremony, as the country recorded over 400 days without local COVID-19 infection cases.
The Sultan’s birthday celebration is a national event, which usually lasted about a month.
This year’s celebration began on Thursday with a public holiday and a ceremonial parade. The Sultan attended the grand parade and inspected the guard of honour.
People from all walks of life in the country thronged the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien in the capital, the focal point of royal birthday celebrations, to witness the grand parade held annually on Jul 15, one of the most important dates in the Brunei national calendar.
As Brunei brought the COVID-19 pandemic under control, the Sultanate is observing more royal birthday celebrations than last year, including special night markets and meet-and-greet events in all four districts of the country.
According to the Brunei government, all ceremonies, programmes and events have been arranged in accordance with the new norms and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health, to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Health officials also reminded the people to remain vigilant and continue to observe prevention measures during the royal birthday celebrations.
Guests and the public will need to have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before attending the birthday events.
Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19, with the national tally standing at 282. It recorded 435 days without local COVID-19 infection cases since May 6, 2020. There have been a total of 258 recovered patients and three deaths reported, so far.
The government also announced that as of Wednesday, 106,004 individuals had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for about 23.4 percent of Brunei’s total population.
All Brunei citizens and residents, including foreign nationals with a valid identification card, can receive the COVID-19 vaccination for free.– NNN-ANN
