Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) secretary-general Hermen Shastri said there was no suspension of services by the other Christian denominations as yet, although they have been advised to be extra vigilant.
“All churches in affected areas are taking the necessary precautions to scale down worship and other activities. It’s not yet an outright suspension,” he told FMT.
He said CCM had also issued an advisory to churches on Oct 2 to tighten restrictions for church services in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
This includes going back to operating at a one-third capacity, barring individuals over 70 and below 12 from attending church activities, restricting the number of people at weddings and funerals as well as banning any gatherings at private residences.
“In view of the resurgence of Covid-19 clusters in many parts of the country, CCM wishes to advise all congregations to be extra vigilant and take the necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus,” Hermen said in the advisory.
“The respective heads of churches should issue the necessary interim precautionary measures deemed fit for their congregations.”
Meanwhile, Malaysian Hindu Sangam president RS Mohan Shan told FMT that Hindu temples would remain open at the moment, although they had been advised to tighten the SOPs in place.
In a circular to temples yesterday, he urged them to ensure that they were complying with the SOPs, adding that the Navaratri festival on Oct 17 should be celebrated moderately.
“It (Navaratri) should be celebrated in a cautious manner with a limited number of devotees. Any form of external procession should be avoided.
“As the number of positive cases is rising daily, the people, especially devotees who are visiting temples, must strictly adhere to the SOPs set by the government,” he said.
Earlier today, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Julian Leow announced that all weekend and weekday masses at Catholic churches in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will be suspended from tomorrow.
He did not give a specific period but said the suspension would be reviewed in the next 14 days.
Catholic churches in Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu will be allowed to continue with their masses although they are advised to pre-register the worshippers.
Malaysia saw a record 432 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, with more than 2,000 patients currently being treated in hospitals.
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