KUCHING: Houses of worship in Sarawak are allowed to accommodate up to 250 worshippers at one time from June 20.
Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) said the maximum attendance however, was subject to the size of the house of worship and one-metre social distancing.
“This is in line with the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC)’s decision to allow public and private functions of up to 250 participants according to the capacity of the space and taking into consideration of one-metre social distancing,” it said in a statement on Thursday.
Previously, Unifor set a guideline for maximum attendance to religious gatherings at not more than 100 participants at one time.
“All houses of worship that wish to reopen starting June 20 are advised to be vigilant and prepared in ensuring they fully comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs),” it added.
It further stressed that only houses of worship gazetted under the Missionary Societies Ordinance 1937 (Sarawak Cap.106) or gazetted under Lembaga Amanah Khairat Bukan Islam under the Charitable Trust Ordinance 1994 or registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) under the Societies Act 1966 (Act 335) were allowed to reopen.
The notice of reopening shall be made through the respective headquarters of the houses of worship to Unifor while those which do not have headquarters may submit the notification directly to Unifor.
The notification form can be downloaded at Unifor’s website at http://jkm.sarawak.gov.my or obtained from the headquarters of religious bodies, Resident or District Offices.
