KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — The Thaipusam festival which will be celebrated by Hindus on January 18 should be held on a moderate scale so as not to spark off a ‘Thaipusam cluster’, said Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS) president Datuk R.S Mohan Shan.

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

As such he hoped the standard operating procedures (SOP) that would be announced by the government in a few days’ time would be strict and all-encompassing.

“We can possibly 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.

Mohan, who had accompanied Unity Minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique on her visit to Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple, Sungai Petani, Kedah last Friday to work on streamlining the SOP said, the government was looking into all proposals submitted by the temples involved, before finalising the Thaipusam festival SOP.

Thaipusam is a festival celebrated by Hindus around the world in the month of ‘Thai’ which is the 10th month in the Tamil calendar, to commemorate the event where Lord Murugan received the sacred spear from his mother Goddess Parvati, to eliminate the evil demon, Soorapadman, and restore prosperity and human well-being.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai said, any activity involving public gatherings could cause a surge in Covid-19 infection and to ensure safety during the Thaipusam festival, the devotees should get maximum protection by getting themselves fully vaccinated plus a booster shot.

Elaborating, he said, Thaipusam could be celebrated but it must be organised in a safe way according to the new norm and there must be a limit to the number of people allowed to attend the religious procession, to prevent the spread of infection.

“It is imperative that all devotees be fully vaccinated. Face masks must be worn 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.

The Health Ministry (MoH) has detected 122 individuals infected with the Omicron variant as of January 4 and expects daily Covid-19 cases to surge to 30,000, if measures are not taken to curb the Omicron wave.

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

He said the temple had received a letter from the government to begin preparations for the celebration at the temple which is famous for its 42.7metre-high statue of Lord Murugan, adding that devotees have started to arrive 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 have started to fulfil their vows by carrying the paal kudam kavadi, with their heads shaved as they climbed the 272 steps to reach the temple in the cave.

On December 14, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein after chairing a Covid-19 Ministerial Quartet meeting said, the government was still fine-tuning the SOPs for Thaipusam, taking into account the safety and health of the people as well as the spread of the Omicron variant,

Following that, Halimah began a survey at locations for the festival celebration to streamline the proposed SOP. — Bernama