• New guidelines come a day after the authorities announced it will be stepping up measures to tackle rising Covid-19 cases
• Religious activities will still be allowed to take place, but under more stringent measures
• These measures will take effect from May 8 to 30

SINGAPORE — From Saturday (May 8), worshippers at religious services will not be allowed to sing, as the authorities scaled back on an allowance that was made just a month ago.

The cap for the maximum number of people allowed for congregational and other worship services without them having to go through pre-event testing will also be reduced from 250 to 100 people.

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) released these updated guidelines on Wednesday, a day after the task force dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic stepped up various measures to tackle the rising number of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases.

When Singapore started Phase Three on Dec 28 last year to gradually resume social and economic activities after a partial lockdown, religious organisations were allowed to conduct congregational and other worship services at higher capacity limits.

Worshippers were also allowed to resume singing from April 5 this year, subject to implementation of safety measures.

However, with the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the community lately, MCCY said on Wednesday that it will impose the following temporary guidelines from May 8 to 30.

SINGING

• There will be no singing by worshippers

• Persons involved in or supporting the conduct of the worship service will also not be allowed to sing while masked

• Religious organisations are “strongly encouraged” to minimise other live performance elements during their worship services, such as the playing of wind instruments

CONGREGATIONAL AND WORSHIP SERVICES

• No pre-event testing is required for services that involve up to 100 people. While religious workers are excluded from this number, MCCY said that they should be kept to a minimum

• Services that involve between 101 and 250 people will only be allowed if pre-event testing is done

• However, MCCY said that worshippers can be exempted from the pre-event test if they have either been vaccinated or are able to produce a notice exempting them from the tests

• The tests, either an Antigen Rapid Test or a Polymerase Chain Reaction, must be administered by an approved test provider

• The test results are only valid for 24 hours from the time an individual registers at the testing premises to take the test.

• MCCY said that the religious organisation must ensure that the result of the test is valid until the end of the worshipper’s participation in the worship service

• For any service exceeding 50 people, MCCY said that worshippers have to be segregated into zones holding no more than 50 persons each

MARRIAGE SOLEMNISATION

• Religious organisations will still be allowed to use places of worship to conduct marriage solemnisation

• Wedding couples will need to be tested before the event if the solemnisation involves between 51 and 250 attendees

• Attendees will likewise have to be segregated into zones of up to 50 people each

• A wedding party, including the couple and their two witnesses, of up to 20 people, will be allowed

• There will be no intermingling or mixing between groups or between the “wedding party” and these other groups, MCCY said

• There must also not be any reception with food and drinks, or any wedding celebrations that are not essential religious rites

• MCCY said that it also encourages the suspension of live instrumental music during this period

• No other performances such as singing or dancing are allowed

FUNERALS

• There should be no more than 30 attendees at funerals, wakes, installation of niches and post-funeral rites at places of worship at any time

• This includes the day of burial or cremation

• MCCY said that visits to the columbaria at places of worship should be kept as short as possible, with no mingling between groups of no more than five persons