The Ministry of the Interior yesterday announced guidelines for funerals, and visits to temples and national parks, to take effect after a nationwide COVID-19 alert is downgraded to level 2 on Tuesday next week.
People paying their respects to a deceased person should nominate one representative to attend the funeral, the ministry said.
The number of people who can attend a ceremony at a funeral home would be limited according to the venue’s size, it said, adding that venues should inform people of attendance limits.
Outdoor ceremonies should be attended by no more than 100 people, the ministry said.
Columbaria would also be open for visitors once the alert level is lowered, it said, adding that attendance would be limited according to the venue’s size.
Disease control measures, including mask wearing and temperature checks, should be conducted and the premises should be disinfected regularly, it said.
Columbarium operators who cannot effectively limit attendance can continue holding Ghost Festival rites without allowing mourners to attend, the ministry said.
Temples would be open to individual worshipers and religious gatherings, the ministry said.
The maximum number of attendees would be up to 50 for indoor events and 100 for outdoor gatherings, it said.
Firms should observe disease prevention guidelines when conducting pudu (普渡, “universal salvation”) ceremonies for their employees, the ministry said, referring to a traditional ceremony to honor deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, also known as Ghost Month.
Large religious events, such as processions, pilgrimages and feasts, are still prohibited, the ministry said.
Cabins in ecological preserves and national parks would remain closed, while camping grounds and other outdoor facilities would reopen, it said.
Visitor flow would be regulated and COVID-19 prevention measures remain in place, it said, adding that parking lots would operate at 50 percent capacity.
Depending on the development of the COVID-19 situation and the behavior of national park visitors, the ministry might implement rolling measures should the need arise, it said.
The limit of indoor gatherings at 50 people would also allow for the resumption of in-person meetings of political parties, and civic and community groups, as well as corporate board meetings, it said.
However, gatherings of between 51 and 100 people would have to be held outdoors, it said, adding that organizers of larger meetings would have to divide the gathering into sub-groups or use teleconferencing.
Meetings that do not allow for appropriate disease prevention measures would have to be postponed, the ministry added.
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