SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) will start piloting an increase in the limit of worshippers for congregational and worship services - from 50 people to 100 people - on 12 religious organisations from Friday (Aug 7).
The move is part of the gradual resumption of religious activities in Phase 2 of Singapore's circuit breaker reopening, said MCCY in a news release on Monday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThese 12 religious organisations will be allowed to accommodate up to 100 people at any one time for congregational and other worship services, with necessary precautions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
[h=3]READ: COVID-19 restrictions to further ease for weddings, funerals from Aug 4; more people allowed to attend[/h]"The pilot sites reflect the diversity of religious practices and worship settings in Singapore," said the ministry, adding that the participating organisations "must have first safely conducted congregational and other worship services for up to 50 persons under the guidelines for Phase 2".
List of religious organisations participating in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth's pilot to increase the limit of people at congregational and other religious services. (Table: Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth)
AdvertisementAdvertisementBesides the prevailing safe management measures introduced at the start of Phase 2, organisations in this pilot will have to put in place additional precautions.
Nine of the 12 religious organisations - churches, mosques and gurdwaras - will have two zones of up to 50 people each for religious services and each zone has to be separated by a physical partition or barrier, said MCCY.
"In worship settings where religious services are structured or seated, these zones will help to minimise interactions between worshippers," said the ministry.
"To avoid interaction between worshippers across zones, there should also be separate entrances and exits or staggered entry and exit timings for each zone."
These places are: Masjid Assyafaah, Masjid Mujahidin, Masjid Al-Istighfar, Masjid Al-Iman, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Jurong Christian Church, Amazing Grace Presbyterian Church, Sengkang Methodist Church and Central Sikh Temple.
For Buddhist, Taoist and Hindu temples, MCCY said safe management measures should ensure that "no crowding or bunching of worshippers at common areas and in the prayer halls, no mingling between groups, and safe distancing between worshippers".
[h=3]READ: COVID-19: Singapore must be prepared for second wave of infections, ‘preventable’ if everyone plays their part, says Gan Kim Yong[/h]PREVAILING GUIDELINES APPLY
All worshippers must continue to keep a 1m safe distance with others if worshipping individually, or they may worship in groups of no more than 5 people and keep a safe distance between groups.
Worship services must be kept "as short a duration as possible", said the ministry, adding that everyone present must wear a face mask at all times.
Singing and other live performances are not permitted during the worship service and there should be no sharing of prayer and other common items in a religious service, said MCCY.
"Places of worship with reduced air circulation should, where possible, open doors and windows to naturally ventilate the space after use."
[h=3]READ: Worship services may resume with up to 50 people at a time in Phase 2 of Singapore's reopening[/h]The organisations participating in this pilot must submit their updated safe management plans to the ministry at least three days before commencing the pilot.
The ministry added it would assess how well these places implement the required safe management measures before deciding on whether to increase the limit on the number of worshippers for other religious organisations.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
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The move is part of the gradual resumption of religious activities in Phase 2 of Singapore's circuit breaker reopening, said MCCY in a news release on Monday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThese 12 religious organisations will be allowed to accommodate up to 100 people at any one time for congregational and other worship services, with necessary precautions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
[h=3]READ: COVID-19 restrictions to further ease for weddings, funerals from Aug 4; more people allowed to attend[/h]"The pilot sites reflect the diversity of religious practices and worship settings in Singapore," said the ministry, adding that the participating organisations "must have first safely conducted congregational and other worship services for up to 50 persons under the guidelines for Phase 2".
AdvertisementAdvertisementBesides the prevailing safe management measures introduced at the start of Phase 2, organisations in this pilot will have to put in place additional precautions.
Nine of the 12 religious organisations - churches, mosques and gurdwaras - will have two zones of up to 50 people each for religious services and each zone has to be separated by a physical partition or barrier, said MCCY.
"In worship settings where religious services are structured or seated, these zones will help to minimise interactions between worshippers," said the ministry.
"To avoid interaction between worshippers across zones, there should also be separate entrances and exits or staggered entry and exit timings for each zone."
These places are: Masjid Assyafaah, Masjid Mujahidin, Masjid Al-Istighfar, Masjid Al-Iman, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Jurong Christian Church, Amazing Grace Presbyterian Church, Sengkang Methodist Church and Central Sikh Temple.
For Buddhist, Taoist and Hindu temples, MCCY said safe management measures should ensure that "no crowding or bunching of worshippers at common areas and in the prayer halls, no mingling between groups, and safe distancing between worshippers".
[h=3]READ: COVID-19: Singapore must be prepared for second wave of infections, ‘preventable’ if everyone plays their part, says Gan Kim Yong[/h]PREVAILING GUIDELINES APPLY
All worshippers must continue to keep a 1m safe distance with others if worshipping individually, or they may worship in groups of no more than 5 people and keep a safe distance between groups.
Worship services must be kept "as short a duration as possible", said the ministry, adding that everyone present must wear a face mask at all times.
Singing and other live performances are not permitted during the worship service and there should be no sharing of prayer and other common items in a religious service, said MCCY.
"Places of worship with reduced air circulation should, where possible, open doors and windows to naturally ventilate the space after use."
[h=3]READ: Worship services may resume with up to 50 people at a time in Phase 2 of Singapore's reopening[/h]The organisations participating in this pilot must submit their updated safe management plans to the ministry at least three days before commencing the pilot.
The ministry added it would assess how well these places implement the required safe management measures before deciding on whether to increase the limit on the number of worshippers for other religious organisations.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...