As the country begins its transition to the endemic phase, prayer activities in mosques, temples, churches, gurdwaras and other houses of worship are allowed to be performed without the need for any physical distancing.
Muniandy Maruthamuthu of the Sri Sakthi Easwari Temple in Sungai Way, Selangor, commended the government’s decision to ease restrictions and said that he expects more devotees coming to the temple as a result.
“We are very happy with the government’s announcement and are expecting more people to come for prayers.
“Throughout the pandemic there were fewer people. For example, if before (pre-pandemic) we had 100 devotees visiting daily, during the pandemic we had only about 20 to 25 coming daily,” the temple committee member said.
At the Chetawan Thai Buddhist Temple in Petaling Jaya, director Maha Amnoi said the relaxation of SOPs was the good news they had long waited for.
“However, we still need to ensure the safety of our devotees. Most of the people coming to the temple are elderly, so we want to make sure there is no danger to them.
“Although there will be no more physical distancing during prayer activities, the other procedures will still remain where devotees must check-in with MySejahtera and wear face masks when inside the temple,” he said.
Masjid Dato’ Haji Kamaruddin Imam Ilyas Yusoff also welcomed the relaxation of SOPs saying he hopes that more people would be able to return to the mosque for prayers.
“We are truly very excited and ready to finally welcome all our congregants back to the mosque after two years.
“God has blessed us with the opportunity to welcome the month of Ramadan, together as one congregation,” he said.
Ilyas added that the guidelines for mosques would vary across different states and said they would be adhering to the SOPs set by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).
“In Selangor, our SOPs are stricter because there is still a high number of (Covid-19) cases in the state compared with other states.
“Each person must scan (the) MySejahtera (QR code) upon entry, bring their own prayer mats, wear a face mask and ensure that they are in good health prior to visiting the mosque,” he said, adding that those who show any signs of illness should not come to the mosque until they are fully recovered.