Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah delivers a speech during an investiture ceremony at Istana Nurul Iman, Brunei's royal palace, in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, July 15, 2021. 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 has recorded over 400 days without local COVID-19 infection cases. The Sultan's birthday celebration is a national event, which usually lasts about a month. (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua)
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 15 (Xinhua) -- 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 has 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 royal guard of honor.
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 July 15, one of the most important dates in the Brunei national calendar.
The Sultan then proceeded to an audience and investiture ceremony held at the royal palace Istana Nurul Iman and conferred state decorations to 16 recipients in conjunction with his 75th birthday celebrations.
As Brunei has brought the COVID-19 pandemic under control, the Sultanate will observe more royal birthday celebrations than last year, including special night markets starting from Thursday and meet-and-greet events in all four districts of the country.
According to the Brunei government, all ceremonies, programs 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 that people in Brunei must remain vigilant and continue to observe prevention measures during the royal birthday celebrations.
Guests and public members will need to have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before attending the royal birthday celebration events.
Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, with the national tally of cases standing at 282.
The country has 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 from COVID-19 so far in the country.
The Brunei 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.
Brunei previously announced that COVID-19 vaccines including those from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, China's Sinopharm would be administered in the country.
All Brunei citizens and residents, including foreign nationals with a valid identification card, can receive the COVID-19 vaccination for free. Enditem
