Buddhist temples get green light for religious gatherings
The Sangha Supreme Council has given temples nationwide the go-ahead for organising religious activities now that the Covid-19 situation has improved.
“Temples have been strictly adhering to the council’s order to avoid holding religious ceremonies. Now that the situation has improved, we have decided to let temples hold activities, provided they implement measures put in place by the Public Health Ministry to curb transmission,” said Saroch Kansirisilp, director of the council’s secretariat, said the National Office of Buddhism
He said temples, especially those that are tourist attractions, are required to screen visitors, provide them with hand-santising gel and make arrangements for people to observe social distancing.
“We will meet relevant authorities to see if we can add temples to the ThaiChana ‘check-in’ platform,” he added.
Meanwhile, Weerawut Imsamran, deputy director-general of the Department of Medical Services, has called on monks to look after their health and avoid going to sites where they may get infected.
“All monks must wear face masks where necessary and if they have symptoms, they must see a doctor as soon as possible,” he said.
“We also want to ask people to observe rules to contain the spread of Covid-19 while making merit as well.”
The National Office of Buddhism oversees 42,000 temples and about 300,000 monks across the nation.