Chinese New Year Events At Temples Closed To Public

Operators of two temples in Hong Kong announced on Monday that religious activities that usually attract big crowds during Chinese New Year will not be open to the public this time due to the pandemic.

Wong Tai Sin Temple said it will be closed to the public on the eve of Chinese New Year, the first such closure in almost a century since the temple was built.

Normally, large crowds of people compete to be the first to make their offerings at the temple with glowing incense sticks.

But the operator, Sik Sik Yuen, urged people to stay at home this year and pray towards the direction of Lion Rock at midnight on New Year's Eve.

It said a ceremony at the temple will be broadcast live.

It added that visitors to the temple at other times during the Chinese New Year period will be required to check in using a contact-tracing app developed by the government, or by registering their personal information with staff.

It said temperature screening and social distancing measures will be in place and people will be stopped from entering the temple if it gets too crowded.

Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin, meanwhile, said its annual fortune stick drawing ceremony by rural leaders on the second day of the Chinese New Year will also be closed to the public, to help prevent the transmission of Covid-19.