KUALA LUMPUR: RELIGIOUS associations and temple managements say there is no rush in reopening places of worships as they wish to avoid any potential Covid-19 clusters.
For Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS) president Datuk R.K. Mohan Shan, the demand to reopen was dependent on the devotees who had not been able to fulfil their religious obligations.
"Although the National Security Council (NSC) has given the go-ahead to reopen the temples, we are worried that the decision, if made in haste, may not serve the purpose.
"We don't want to have a temple cluster because of the rush," he told the New Straits Times.
Mohan said many of the temple management and committees registered with MHS had voiced similar concerns.
"Temple managements are ready to follow and comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP) like houses of worship can only take in one-third of their usual capacity and attendees must download the MySejahtera application.
"And the temple must also make sure that SOP is adhered by the worshippers, such as social distancing and taking temperature before joining the congregation.
"But we still need to wait for the SOP that the National Unity Ministry is currently drafting."
Rawang Buddhist Association chairman Lim Boon Hee, 49, whose temple is located at Jalan Maxwell, Rawang, said he would be making preparations ahead of the reopening soon.
He said his association was working closely with the Young Buddhist Malaysian Association and the Malaysian Buddhist Association to better understand the SOP.
"We've recently submitted the application for the reopening of our temple to the public and is pending approval from the Selangor government and the ministry of national unity," he said.
He added that all temple activities would be resumed in stages to better manage the risk of infection.
The Malaysia Council of Churches general-secretary Reverend Dr Hermen Shastri said while churches were ready to comply with the SOP, the rules needed to be more precise.
The date of reopening of churches under the council had yet to be fixed.
"While churches in Malaysia varied according to sects, the government should draw more specific guidelines for houses of worships, based on the types, sizes and so forth."
Meanwhile, Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur are set to resume its masses and celebration of the sacraments by adhering to government guidelines issued yesterday.
The Chancery of the Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has outlined a four-phase approach for the reopening of its churches, chapels and mass centres.
"The Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur will also be adopting the Guidelines for Celebration of Sacraments under the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) and post-RMCO dated June 15," Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur Reverend Father Michael Chua said in a chancery notice.
"All physical face-to-face activities, such as Sunday School or catechism classes, parish meetings and formations, remain suspended under further notice."
The four-phase guidelines outlined are:
Phase 1: planning, preparation, signages and procuring equipment, consultations with parish leaders to determine criteria for election for mass attendance, no public masses, anointing of the sick and confession (by appointment) and funeral services in homes and parlours which are limited to 15 people,
Phase 2: one public mass per week on Sunday with the first mass held not earlier than June 28, funerals in church, anointing of the sick and infant baptisms at home (by appointment, and the resumption of confessions before mass.
Phase 3: additional masses over the weekend and funerals, weddings, baptisms of adults and confirmation in the church.
Phase 4: additional weekend masses, and funerals, weddings, baptisms of adults and confirmation in church.
Yesterday, Defence Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government agreed to loosen restrictions for non-Muslim houses of worship involving 5,230 houses of worship across the country. -- Additional reporting by Marina Emmanuel