File photo for illustration purposes.
KUCHING (March 22): The Simanggang Foochow Association has decided to open the Foochow Clan Cemetery in Sri Aman from April 1 to 4 for tomb-sweeping activities in conjunction with this year’s Qing Ming Festival.
Its chairman Datuk Dr Ngu Piew Seng said the allowed activities will be from 4am to 12pm throughout the four-day period in strict compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).
The association would engage volunteers to man the traffic and other needs at the cemetery throughout the four days, he said in a statement today.
According to him, the association will come up with the necessary QR codes and hand sanitisers for every visitor to the cemetery.
Ngu appealed to individuals who had planned to do tomb-sweeping activities at the cemetery to strictly comply with the SOP so as cut down the risks of Covid-19 infection.
He said the association would not be responsible for any SOP violation at the cemetery.
In view of the Covid-19 pandemic in Sarawak, he advised families to send only key members to the cemetery while the rest could conduct prayers at their respective homes.
He also suggested that some families could have their tomb-sweeping activities earlier instead of on the actual Qing Ming day, which falls on April 4.
He also reminded all visitors to have their body temperature screened, wear face masks and maintain physical distancing of one metre.
He added that individuals with symptoms such as cough, fever and sore throat must not visit the cemetery.
More information can be obtained by calling the association’s secretariat at 083-322248 or 012-8733166.
On Mar 17, SDMC announced that only up to eight members of a family would be allowed to go to cemeteries and only two at columbariums or memorial halls for Qing Ming Festival until Apr 14.
Despite so, no inter-zone travel was permitted for those observing Qing Ming Festival.
The visiting time at the cemeteries have been fixed between 4am and noon and at columbariums or memorial halls from 8am to 4pm.
SDMC said the elderly, children below 12 years and individuals with chronic diseases were discouraged from the tomb-sweeping activities.
Last year’s Qing Ming Festival and the nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO) coincided, resulting in the Chinese community having called off their annual activities at cemeteries.
Qing Ming Festival or Tomb-Sweeping Day is an occasion for Chinese families to clean the tombs of their ancestors as well as to pray and make ritual offerings at the cemeteries.