Kota Kinabalu: Sabah on Tuesday announced the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for non-Muslim places of worship, as well as the handling of funerals and last respects in non-Muslim houses of worship and funeral parlours during the transition to endemic phase.
Only fully vaccinated congregants are allowed for religious activities or prayers and space capacity of non-Muslim houses of worship is limited, with worship hours ranging from 6am to 10pm.
A one-metre physical distance is required and touching, shaking hands and hugging are not permitted.
Those who exhibit symptoms are also not permitted. Similarly, it is not permitted to share prayer equipment. The number of toilet cubicles accessible at any given time limits the use of toilet facilities in non-Muslim houses of worship.
Blessings, weddings, baptisms, ordination, religious classes, last rites (death) prayers, and social events are all constrained by the capacity of non-Muslim halls of worship.
Religious class activities for children under the age of 12 are not allowed and children under 12 are only allowed to attend if their parents are fully vaccinated.
Feasts, gotong-royong and other social activities are permitted with a one-metre physical distance.
Family members and members of the funeral parlour management committee are allowed to manage funerals at non-Muslim houses of worship and funeral parlours, subject to the size of the premises.
Only those who have been fully vaccinated are permitted with the exception of children under the age of 12 whose parents have been fully vaccinated.
Except for cultural events (rituals) such as social gambling and cockfighting, social activities such as eating and drinking are permitted.
In cemeteries and crematoriums, only those who have been fully vaccinated are permitted, with the exception of children under the age of 12 whose parents have been fully vaccinated.
Only family members are allowed to scatter ashes, and children under the age of 12 are not allowed to attend unless their parents are fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the number of new Covid-19 infections rose again on Tuesday with 198 new cases, a total of 58 cases higher compared to Monday’s 140.
Sabah Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, in a statement, said the number of districts that recorded new double-digit cases increased from four on Monday to seven on Tuesday.
Several districts recorded a high increase such as Penampang which added 17 cases, Beaufort rose 23 cases and Keningau recorded 10 cases after recording zero cases on Monday.
In Kota Kinabalu 42 cases were recorded (up by five cases), Tuaran 10 cases down by 11), Show 14 cases ( up by nine) and Sandakan 13 cases ( up by eight). There are no new cases in the four districts.
The percentage of sporadic infection cases also rose to 58 per cent from 55 per cent on Monday.
“We can conclude that when the percentage of sporadic infections increases, it is likely to result in an increase in new cases in the following days.
“We also take into account that the lifting of various restrictions on social and economic activities from this month will to some extent contribute to the increasing number of cases in the near term (short term),” he said.
A total of 193 out of 198 new patients today are in Category 1 and Category 2, three patients in Category 4 and two patients in Category 5. There are no patients in Category 3.
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