Covid-19: Online reservations required to seek blessings

This year's Chinese New Year is being celebrated amid a spike in Covid-19 cases and the movement control order (MCO). This has led certain temples to adopt new strategies such as online reservations.

Visitors to the Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom, Selangor, are required to show their QR code at the entrance to prove their registration.

Apart from this, visitors must check-in on MySejahtera and have their temperatures scanned. Next comes the sanitisation process.

For the final step, visitors are required to scan the QR code at the registration booth. This system is provided by Ticket2U, which is an online ticketing and event management platform.

The system was launched by the Selangor state government through the Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC) Sdn Bhd and the ticketing platform.

It aims to increase efficiency and better control the number of visitors to religious places.

FGS Dong Zen Temple is among the first non-Muslim places of worship to have adopted the online reservation system.

As one of the prominent Buddhist temples in Malaysia, FGS Dong Zen Temple is famed for its beautiful annual Lantern and Flora Festival, which attracts nearly a million visitors.

However, due to the uncertainties of the Covid-19 outbreak, the temple implemented strict and comprehensive preventive measures, including for the main shrine.

Those visiting the shrine have to undergo another round of sanitisation and are provided with a name tag containing a QR code.

When the QR code is scanned, the system shows the current numbers of visitors and available slots.

Currently, there are four 30-minute sessions, from 10am to 2pm daily.

According to one of the temple's masters, Miao Yue, the slots are normally fully booked a day before, and those who do not register online are not allowed to enter.

"We have to follow the SOP (which stipulates 30 worshippers)," she told Malaysiakini.

Meanwhile, the temple's head of Dharma affairs, Ru Yin, told Malaysiakini that changes were implemented since last June.

"We have to learn how to overcome, adapt (to new norms) and adjust. We should not refuse to change. The pandemic has taught us a lot," she added.

Ker Siew Lan, 57, regularly visits the temple during Chinese New Year.

"My son helped me register online. Although it was a bit inconvenient, it is fine," the housewife said.

Meanwhile, Tan Ai Lee, a 22-year-old student, came to the temple with a group of friends.

"We watched the lantern festival on YouTube, but the experience is different when you are here. The arrangement and SOP made us feel safe and relaxed. We understand it is necessary," she said.

Those interested in visiting the temple can make their reservations here.