Places of worship will reopen for limited private prayer
Places of worship here will reopen for private worship from June 2, with a limit of five members of the same household praying at a time.
No congregational services will be allowed, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wongat a virtual press conference yesterday.
"The religious leaders across all faiths are being briefed on these requirements. They will help to manage the situation in the different settings and ensure that safe distancing, safe management practices are put in place," he said.
Bigger groups could be allowed to gather in places of worship when Singapore moves to the subsequent phases of reopening the country, added Mr Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force tackling the Covid-19 outbreak.
Many places of worship began suspending services in February and March due to the coronavirus outbreak, though they still allowed private worship.
These places later had to close fully after the circuit breaker measures kicked in on April 7.
Some of the earlier coronavirus clusters included churches such as The Life Church and Missions Singapore as well as Grace Assembly of God, which was at one point Singapore's largest cluster with 23 cases.
Marriage solemnisations will be allowed to take place in-person again, with up to 10 people present, said the Ministry of Health.
Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee previously said 2,723 couples were scheduled to have their marriages solemnised between April 7 and June 1, but had to postpone their plans due to the circuit breaker.
Parliament passed a law on May 5 allowing couples to say their wedding vows remotely via live video links, in the virtual presence of their witnesses, and, in the case of Muslim marriages, also the wali, or the bride's lawful guardian.
The new law came into force last Friday.
Families can continue to gather for wakes and funerals, limited to 10 people at one time.
Other non-essential activities and social gatherings will remain prohibited, so as not to bring together more people living in different households, said the Health Ministry. - GOH YAN HAN
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
