Catholic churches suspend public masses, other faiths to continue with caution

By Asia Samachar Team | MALAYSIA |

Catholic churches in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will temporarily suspend all public masses effective tomorrow (7 Oct), but other places of worship will continue to operate under the prevailing Covid-19 preventative measures.

The Chancery of the Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur took the measure in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases and the emergence of sporadic cases.

“This suspension will be reviewed before October 20 and the parishes will be notified accordingly of any future changes,” according to a statement issued by Kuala Lumpur archdiocese Rev Michael Chua.

It has also called on Catholics residing in the two regions to refrain from travelling to neighbouring states to attend mass to avoid the risk of transmission. It has also advised postponement of weddings ‘if possible’ or limit wedding guests to 20 people.

Malaysia today announced yet another record daily high of 691 new Covid-19 cases, with 394 attributed coming from a prison in Kedah and 219 came from red zones in Sabah.

Malaysian Hindu Sangam president RS Mohan Shan said 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 told FMT.

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