The post shared on Istana Negara’s Facebook page.
KUCHING (April 2): The Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong have sent Christians in Malaysia warm wishes in connection with Good Friday today and the coming Easter.
“We wish all our Christian friends a blessed Good Friday and a very joyous Happy Easter. May your celebrations be filled with hope, peace and love. Stay safe, fellow Malaysians,” said the greeting shared on the Istana Negara Facebook page.
The post, which features a picture of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, received more than 8,000 likes and was shared more than 2,000 times in four hours after it was uploaded today.
Churches in Sarawak are allowed to open for the Holy Week but with a limited number of attendees to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Last Saturday, Association of Churches Sarawak (ACS) chairman Archbishop Simon Poh said Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) had given permission through Unit for Other Religions to allow churches in the green and yellow zones to open with up to 50 per cent capacity with at least one meter of physical distancing.
As for churches in red and orange zones, he said they remain closed to the public but are permitted to hold services for up to a maximum of 20 assigned persons only (with or without live streaming) during the Holy Week.
Poh explained that the ‘assigned persons’ refer to priests or pastors and invited committee members who will be serving and assisting directly in the celebration in the church during the Holy Week.
“I understand that as many of our churches are actually in red and orange zones, masses and service with 20 persons are a concession to allow for Christian to celebrate Palm Sunday, the Lord’s Supper on Thursday, commemorating Jesus’s death on Good Friday, celebrating Christ’s Resurrection on Vigil and Easter Sunday.
“This is so that on our Most Holy Week, churches will not be shut and that prayers may be offered from our churches in this time of pandemic during Holy Week,” he told The Borneo Post.
Based on Ministry of Health (MOH)’s classification, districts with more than 40 cases in a two-week period is classified as red zones, 21 to 40 cases as orange zones, one to 20 cases as yellow zones and those with no cases as green zones.