GEORGE TOWN: With masses and services allowed to be held for Christmas, churches here are going to great lengths to ensure the safety of those attending.

       Church of Our Lady of Sorrows parish priest Monsignor Aloysius Tan said the church would be open but with limited seats and strict compliance to Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP).

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       “Most of our masses are already fully booked. Those who wish to attend are required to pre-register in a Google document and show that they are fully vaccinated.

       “We are operating at one-third of our capacity now, which is 230 seats,” he said in an interview at the church in Macalister Road.

       Tan said they were happy to welcome people to the church as many had not been to one in a long time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

       He said there would be three masses on Christmas eve – in English, Tagalog and Mandarin – while on Christmas day, there would be a morning mass, followed by one in the afternoon for the Vietnamese community here.

       “We have a team of volunteers who are working on the SOP and all the procedures the parishioners need to follow.

       “Parishioners who have registered themselves are advised to come early as they will have to scan the MySejahtera app and show us that they are low risk as well as have their temperature taken and sit on the assigned seats.

       “Everyone will have an assigned seat number in case anything happens. We will be able to trace those seated near each other,” he said.

       Tan said while there would be a church choir, the number of people would be limited in compliance with SOP.

       At the St Mark’s Church in Jalan St Mark, Butterworth, there will be a small scale celebration with only 100 seats.

       Vicar Rev Soong Hoe Pin said there would be two services – one on Christmas eve and another on Christmas morning.

       “We had an online registration and had since stopped accepting people for the Christmas eve service.

       “There is usually a larger crowd on the eve rather than Christmas day as many would often visit their friends or be at home celebrating with family.

       “We will adhere to strict SOP and expect those who come to be fully vaccinated.

       “Our church capacity is normally over 200 but we have halved it and will only allow around 100 people at any one time.

       “Those who have registered have to provide us with their details and contact so that we know who is attending,” he said.

       While Soong foresees a lower turnout for the 9am Christmas morning service, there will still be church volunteers to keep an eye on the crowd.

       It was earlier reported that prayer ceremonies were allowed following the reopening of Non-Muslim Houses of Worship under the National Recovery Plan.

       Choir performances at churches to mark Christmas are also allowed on condition that those involved practise physical distancing of at least 1m and wear face masks.

       The National Unity Ministry said this was part of SOP for Christmas celebrations on Dec 24 and 25.