Safety measures in place at churches for Easter services
These include temperature checks, distinct zones and hybrid of online, on-site events
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Churchgoers queueing at a SafeEntry check-in and temperature screening counter before a service at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd yesterday. Restrictions on religious activities were eased last December under phase three of Singapore's reopening, with the maximum size of congregants raised from 100 to 250.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Some worshippers have retur-ned to churches across Singapore for Holy Week, although services remain more muted than pre-Covid days.
Easter services last year were held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Representatives from three church organisations told The Straits Times that safety precautions were in place for services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, in keeping with government regulations.
While worshippers will be able to congregate for services - with safe distancing in place - some elements such as the foot-washing ceremony, traditionally performed on Maundy Thursday, did not take place this year to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Restrictions on religious activities were eased last December under phase three of Singapore's reopening.
The maximum size of congregants was raised from 100 to 250, and live performance elements for congregational and other worship services, as well as religious rites, were permitted.
A spokesman for the Archbishop's communications office of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said most Catholic churches here would be able to accommodate 250 attendees for Mass, with congregants sitting in zones of 50 people each and no intermingling between the groups.
"Safety measures include conducting temperature checks, verifying individuals' identities, use of the TraceTogether token or app, ensuring safe distancing and proper sanitation of public areas," she said.
She added that attendees would have to be masked throughout the service except for a short time when they receive Holy Communion.
Despite the restrictions, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese said the on-site Holy Week services were a positive step for the community after a difficult year.
City Harvest Church (CHC) will be conducting a short production for its English Easter service that combines live and recorded content in keeping with safe distancing measures.
A spokesman for the CHC said: "Our services hold a maximum of 250 persons, seated at different sections, entering and exiting at different timings. A distance of 3m is kept between the stage and the congregation."
The Grace Assembly of God church will hold a hybrid of online and on-site services for Good Friday and Easter, with each on-site service capped at 250 attendees.
A spokesman for the church said congregants attending the on-site services are required to book a ticket to be admitted into the service halls, which have been divided into zones with socially distanced seating arrangements.
Since resuming on-site services, the church has instructed congregants to pick up individually packed Holy Communion emblems on their way into the service halls, and to dispose of the empty cup into bins provided at the exits on their way out after the service.
Similarly, congregants can give tithes and offerings digitally, or drop their cash or cheques into boxes provided at the exits.
Reverend Wilson Teo, senior pastor of Grace Assembly of God, said: "This time last year, many were reeling from the impact of Covid-19, which shook us out of our familiar routines.
"But, a year on, most of us have picked up new skills and embraced technology use in our daily lives. We have also understood and gotten used to the new rules that are deemed necessary to keep Covid-19 at bay."
Administrator Angelina Lim, 47, who attends services at CHC, said she cried when she returned to on-site services for the first time after Covid-19 restrictions came into force.
She said: "This year is better than last year, but it still takes some getting used to. We are organising a 'watch party' to partake in the service at home with eight friends and family members. It is still Easter, the most significant day for all Christians, only we are spending it in a different way."
Correction note: An earlier version of this story gave the name of the 47-year-old administrator as Angela Lim. This has been corrected to Angelina Lim.