Prevent a ’Thaipusam cluster’, warns Hindu Sangam

 

Malaysia Hindu Sangam president RS Mohan Shan said the Thaipusam festival SOPs, to be announced soon, should be strict and all-encompassing.

KUALA LUMPUR: Thaipusam should be celebrated on a moderate scale this year so as not to spark off a “Thaipusam Covid-19 cluster’”, says Malaysia Hindu Sangam president RS Mohan Shan.

He said this was important to curb the spread of Covid-19, especially the Omicron variant, from raging through the country.

As such, he hoped the SOPs to be announced by the government in a few days time would be strict and all-encompassing.

“We can celebrate it like last year, where devotees were not allowed to carry kavadis and paal kudam (milk pots) during the chariot procession.

“However, the Hindu community will have to choose. The decision lies with them,” he told Bernama.

RS Mohan Shan.

Mohan, who accompanied unity minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique on her visit to the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Sungai Petani, Kedah, last Friday, said the government was looking into all proposals submitted by the temples involved, before finalising the Thaipusam festival SOPs.

Thaipusam, which falls on Jan 18, is a festival celebrated by Hindus around the world.

Meanwhile, the Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple’s honorary secretary C Sethupathy said the temple management was still waiting for the final Thaipusam SOPs from the government but preparations had already begun.

He said the temple had received a letter from the government to begin the preparations for the celebration at the temple, which is famous for its 42.7m-tall statue of Lord Murugan.

“Devotees have begun arriving over the past few weeks. So far, 500 paal kudam and several kavadis have already been taken by the devotees to fulfil their vows during the festival,” he said.

A check by Bernama yesterday found that devotees had begun fulfilling their vows by carrying the paal kudams and  kavadis, with their heads shaved as they climbed the 272 steps to reach the temple in the cave.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Koh Kar Chai said any public gatherings could cause a surge in infections, and to ensure safety during Thaipusam, devotees should get maximum protection by getting themselves fully vaccinated as well as a booster shot.

Elaborating, he said Thaipusam could be celebrated but must be organised in a safe way according to the new norm.

There should also be a limit to the number of people allowed to attend the procession to prevent the spread of infection.

“It is imperative that all devotees be fully vaccinated. Face masks must be worn at all times and physical distancing strictly observed. Crowding of the premises must be prevented with proper control.

“The authorities should also meet with the temple management and the organisers ahead of the celebrations on all the necessary arrangements to ensure safety,” he said.

As of Jan 4, the health ministry had detected 122 people infected with the Omicron variant and expects daily Covid-19 cases to surge to 30,000 if measures are not taken to curb the Omicron wave. - FMT