Some families are heeding the advice to visit the columbaria on off-peak days during the Qing Ming Festival.

Bank employee Denise Chua, for instance, was at the Mandai Columbarium yesterday morning with seven family members to pay res-pect to her great-grandparents.

The 32-year-old said her family has observed the tradition for the past 20 years and chose to visit the columbarium yesterday "because it may be crowded on weekends and an appointment has to be made for parking".

The Chinese tomb-sweeping festival falls on Sunday, with crowds expected to peak this long weekend and the two weekends after. During the festival, Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites, pray and make ritual offerings.

Those driving to the Mandai Columbarium on these days will have to book an appointment, as crowds are expected to be larger this year because of high niche occupancy.

Those visiting Choa Chu Kang Cemetery and the government-managed columbaria in Choa Chu Kang, Mandai and Yishun are advised to limit the number of visitors to two per household.

These columbaria will remain open 24 hours daily until April 18.

When The Straits Times visited Mandai Columbarium yesterday morning, there were about 30 people on the ground floor of Block E, where the prayer shelter and burning pits are also located.

At each level of the four-storey building, there were fewer than 20 people.

Ms Chua said the numbers are smaller compared to the years before the Covid-19 pandemic. Her family did not visit the columbarium last year.

Visitors were also maintaining a safe distance from one another.

Mr Sherwin Lee, 33, who is self-employed, said: "Normally in the past year, on the weekends or closer to the actual day, you can see three to four families together in one aisle. Now, it is probably one family or empty, which is a good thing."

He was at the Mandai Colum-barium with three of his family members to pay respect to his grandparents and great-grand relatives, an annual affair for the past two decades.

Ms Chua said: "We just take our own precautions - if people are making an offering, we wait outside, and when we pray, they will go elsewhere."

In an earlier advisory, the National Environment Agency (NEA) urged visitors to check the real-time traffic updates on its website before visiting.

Venerable Kwang Phing, president of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, said the Qing Ming Festival remains a valuable tradition. "It is to educate the next generation to practise filial piety and pass on these good values to the next generation."

Mr Tan Thiam Lye, chairman of the Taoist Federation (Singapore), said the festival is also a period for family reunions as they visit their ancestors' graves together.

However, this may not be possible this year as the NEA has urged elderly family members and children not to visit these places during this period.

Ven Kwang and Mr Tan said families can make alternative arrangements, such as conducting the prayers at home.