KUCHING: The Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) are committed in making all churches a safe environment for worshippers by implementing the standard operating procedure (SOPs) and proceeding with prudence for the good of its people and the nation.
Its chairman Archbishop Simon Poh said the church welcomes the announcement of the reopening of churches on June 20, and also the decision to increase the maximum number of church attendees to 250 from 100.
“However, I have written a memo to all ACS branches recommending the church to start with the initial 100 persons.
“After a few weeks of adhering to the SOPs and all safety compliance are in place, each church can increase to accommodate 250 attendees and only if this is within the church building’s capacity,” he said in a statement on Friday.
He said it is prudent to proceed conservatively and not rush to increase the number of attendees because although the government has relaxed restrictions, Covid-19 is still out there.
Poh, who is also the Catholic Archbishop of Kuching, said the Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Kuching will use the initial number of 100 to try out their online registration system and for personnel to familiarise themselves with the SOPs.
He said Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Kuching will not be opening churches this weekend and will instead train the church service teams in the SOP requirements.
“As a church, we do not have the financial resources to employ additional staff. As we have always done, each church has to depend on a team of dedicated volunteers.
“Therefore, we now need to form new teams before we can reopen our churches. Covid-19 has also cut down our existing volunteers — such as those who are considered high risk because of some existing ailments or age,” he said.
Archbishop Poh said the church will also continue to monitor statistics from the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and hope to reopen churches on weekends starting July 4 or July 5.
“Thus on behalf of your priests, as your Archbishop, I appeal to our Catholics to be patient and understanding while churches utilise the next two weeks to train teams in the SOP requirements,” he said.
He added that in the meantime, the live streaming of Mass will continue.
