KUALA LUMPUR – It is another toned-down year for Hindu devotees celebrating the Thaipusam festivities in Batu Caves here given the strict Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Pre-pandemic, Batu Caves used to host hundreds of thousands of devotees and visitors during Thaipusam, but this year, authorities have limited devotees to 6,000 a day.
At the entrance of the Sri Subramaniar temple, the management team is monitoring and ensuring devotees are fully vaccinated, above the age of 18, and checking in via MySejahtera before being allowed in the temple grounds.
What used to be large crowds of devotees lining up to climb the temple’s famous steps have now been reduced to a single file of participants.
Authorities are regulating the number of devotees going up the stairs, limiting 500 individuals for each prayer session.
In previous Thaipusam celebrations, the steps up to the temple would be filled with devotees carrying milk pots, intricate kavadis, and other offerings.
While the journey up to the temple appears organised with social distancing protocols in place, crowds are more noticeable at the foothills.
Nevertheless, police and Health Ministry personnel are on the ground to ensure SOP compliance. – The Vibes, January 18, 2022
