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SINGAPORE – When Cornerstone Community Church opens its doors on Sunday (October 4), about 100 worshipers will flock to each of its auditoriums in Katong and Bugis for services.
The church is among some places of worship that began opening to larger groups this weekend after safe distancing rules for such places were relaxed on Saturday (October 3).
The audience limit has been raised to 100 at any one time, double the previous limit since the circuit breaker ended in late June. Live music was also allowed in 16 religious organizations as part of a pilot program.
Despite the green light, churches, temples, mosques and other places of worship mostly took a cautious approach, with many sticking to the lower crowd limit for the first weekend.
The worshipers were also not rushed to attend services, it seems, and many are still wary of the crowds.
The temples on Waterloo Street, typically bustling with activity before Covid-19 hit, saw a trickle of devotees on Saturday.
Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho, the largest temple in the area, stopped opening on weekends during the circuit breaker and remained closed.
There were no crowds at the Temple of the Buddha Tooth Relic in Chinatown, which adhered to its rule of not allowing walk-ins.
It was one of the few religious organizations on trial for live music, and the sounds of chanting emanated from its cavernous prayer hall. But there were few people inside; only those who had made an appointment were allowed in.
Businessman Adam Toh, 47, who was praying outside the temple with his sons, ages seven and three, said, “This is good enough for us. My kids are young and I’m a bit uncomfortable taking them to crowded places. Covid-19 is not over yet. “
IT security officer Veena Govindaraj, 44, who was at the Sri Krishnan Temple on Waterloo Street, said she hoped it wasn’t too crowded: “So far, the temple is handling the crowds very well. I think As long as people follow the safe – distance yourself from the rules and wear masks, everything will be fine. “
Even places of worship that were open to more people had limited their activities due to infection risks and concerns among the faithful.
Cornerstone Community Church, for example, kept physical services to about 45 minutes compared to online that last more than an hour. She also did not play live music or give communion.
Still, tickets for services at their Katong and Bugis locations were purchased within minutes when the online booking began.
Cornerstone Pastor Lim Lip Yong said, “It is a great relief for people to go to church and participate in something congregational. But we understand the need to be cautious.”
The BW Monastery, which was also ready to receive more devotees, continued to postpone the start of the singing sessions.
These generally attract up to 300 devotees, a number the monastery could not accommodate with safe distancing in place, said CEO Lim Jue Meng.
“We don’t want to disappoint some of them. If we do it online, everyone will have the opportunity to participate,” he added.
“Also, having hundreds of people singing together will increase the risk of Covid-19 and we don’t want to put our devotees in danger.”
Worshipers at the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple in Little India were finally able to attend prayers where live music was played. Previously, these rituals were carried out without the assistance of devotees.
The temple secretary, R. Rajakanth, said that the devotees who were in the temple welcomed the music: “Hinduism is not a silent religion, it focuses on music and sounds.”
The increase in crowd boundaries didn’t make much of a difference in Taoist temples, as devotees often visit throughout the day and don’t stay long, said Taoist Federation president Tan Thiam Lye.
Only on special occasions, such as the upcoming Festival of the Nine God Emperors, will the temples see large crowds. Tan said they were already preparing to pitch tents and are recruiting volunteers to help with crowd control.
Catholic churches and mosques were among the places of worship that continued to uphold the 50-person rule over the weekend.
The Catholic Church said on its website that some parishes will begin offering 100 places for Mass starting Tuesday (October 6), “depending on the churches having the relevant security management plans in place.”
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore said the number of spaces available for daily congregational prayers will increase by 19 mosques from Wednesday.
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