24-hour operations at govt-managed columbaria brought forward a week ahead of Qing Ming Festival: NEA

SINGAPORE — Government-managed columbaria have been operating 24 hours a day since Tuesday (March 17) ahead of the Qing Ming Festival, one week earlier than usual, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Thursday (March 19).

The step has been taken at the columbaria, which include Choa Chu Kang Columbarium and Mandai Columbarium, to accommodate larger visitor crowds during the annual festival, NEA said in a statement to TODAY.

The 24-hour operations will last until April 19, about two weeks after the festival on April 4, when the Chinese visit tombs and niches to clean them and pray. It comes as the Government urges members of the public to maintain social distancing amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

NEA said that while government cemetery and columbarium complexes are naturally ventilated, visitors are advised to avoid Qing Ming peak periods and not to prolong their stay at such venues.

It also recommended that visitors minimise the number of family members visiting a columbarium at the same time, and not bring elderly family members or young children with them.

The agency said it has increased the frequency of cleaning at these premises, including disinfecting high-touch points such as lift buttons and hand railings three times a day.

Last week, it issued a public advisory for the Qing Ming Festival, reminding members of the public to be socially responsible in order to safeguard their wellbeing and that of their families.

The advisory had stated: “As advised by the Ministry of Health, for those who have been issued a quarantine order or are under a stay-home notice, they should comply strictly with its requirements and not visit during the Qing Ming period.

“For visitors to our facilities, members of the public are reminded to keep themselves and others around them safe by observing good hygiene habits, such as binning their litter and keeping our shared spaces clean.”

In its statement on Thursday, NEA said it was monitoring the situation closely and will review its earlier public advisory if necessary, "based on the Covid-19 situation during the Qing Ming period’. ’

Several temples have also released advisories that address social distancing during the Qing Ming Festival period.

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, a Buddhist monastery on Bright Hill Road, announced on Facebook on Wednesday that its columbarium and ancestral tablet halls would be closed to the public over the festival, and it would suspend its free distribution of food.

Qing Ming ancestral prayers for the public will be allocated to level one of the monastery’s premises, as well as its multi-storey carpark and open-air tentages nearby.

The monastery also said that the dedication of merits to the departed ritual on April 4 will be closed to the public, and will be live-streamed on Facebook instead.

Its advisory prompted visitors to consider making offerings through online platforms, and to “observe social distancing at all times”.

Thian Hock Keng, a Hokkien temple on Telok Ayer Street and one of the oldest in Singapore, said in an advisory on its website that it would limit the number of visitors inside areas dedicated to Qing Ming prayers on April 4.

Foo Hai Ch’an Monastery told TODAY that it will bar visitors from entering its prayer hall during this period, and will instead allow them to offer incense in an open area outside.

In addition, it will conduct temperature screening at its premises, which are on Geylang East Avenue 2.