KUALA LUMPUR - Catholic churches in Klang Valley have been ordered to temporarily suspend all public mass services following the recent spike in Covid-19 cases.
Rev Julian Leow Beng Kim of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor made the decree among other measures taken to reduce the risk of transmission among the church's followers.
Parishes in Pahang, Negri Sembilan, and Terengganu are allowed to continue with scheduled mass services, but parishioners are required to pre-register.
This is to ensure non-resident persons travelling from other areas are not allowed to participate in these events.
In a statement, the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur Chancellor, Michael Chua, said the church will also live stream mass services.
"Please be reminded that the archbishop continues to dispense the faithful from the obligation of attending mass services on Sundays and holy days of obligation," he said in a statement today.
Additionally, Catholics in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have been told to refrain from travelling to neighbouring states to attend mass services, while sacraments of confirmation, first holy communions and infant baptisms have been postponed.
The church also called on weddings to be postponed, while outlining that funerals should be conducted with the attendance of family members not exceeding 20 persons. Persons in high-risk categories, 70 years and above and those with pre-existing conditions should not be allowed to attend.
“Additional measures may be taken in the future for individual parishes and districts, should the situation worsen in these areas.” – The Vibes, October 6, 2020