In light of stricter safe distancing measures, government columbaria will close on weekends and public holidays until 26 April 2020. Visitors are requested to limit the number of family members visiting at each time to four per family cluster and to visit during weekdays after 12 pm and in the evenings or nights

Singapore, 25 March 2020 – The Qing Ming Festival takes place on 4 April 2020 this year, with the peak period expected to last between 21 March to 19 April 2020. In view of the current COVID-19 situation and stricter safe distancing measures, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will close all government columbaria on weekends and public holidays until 26 April 2020.

2          Visitors who have made arrangements to visit on weekends could make alternative arrangements to visit on weekdays between Monday, 8.00am to Friday, 5.30pm. NEA has extended the opening hours for government-managed columbaria (Choa Chu Kang, Mandai and Yishun Columbarium), from Mondays to Fridays, until 24 April 2020. Please refer to Annex A for operating hours for government-managed columbaria. Many private columbaria have taken similar measures, in light of the latest more stringent MOH advisory on COVID-19 measures, to better safeguard public health. The intent is to spread the crowd size from the two weekend days to five weekdays, as well as the night hours.  For the public columbaria, the weekday crowd is only about 30% that of the weekend crowd. 

3.         When visiting the columbaria on weekdays, NEA urges members of public to exercise socially responsible behaviour so as to protect our own well-being and the well-being of our families and relatives. Those who feel unwell or are sick should stay at home and see a doctor, and avoid visiting during the Qing Ming peak periods as crowds may be expected at the Choa Chu Kang Cemetery and government columbaria. Visitors are requested to 

• minimize the family size visiting to no more than four persons,
• not to bring elderly family members and young children,  
• not to prolong stay in the facilities,  
• avoid crowding around the prayer and joss paper burning areas in the columbaria, and keep a safe distance from other visitors, of at least 1 metre

NEA will monitor the situation closely and may implement further measures for crowd control, including temporarily stopping access to the columbaria block and closing off joss paper burners if necessary, to minimise crowding.

4          Every effort has been taken to wipe down common contact surfaces more frequently, make sanitizers available at the lift lobbies, and space out the table for prayers. Visitors to our facilities are reminded to keep themselves and others around them safe by observing good hygiene habits, such as binning their litter and keeping the shared spaces clean. Further information on traffic control, bus shuttle services, use of burners, engagement of third-party grave maintenance services, and exercising due care when moving around CCK Cemetery can be found in our advisory released on 11 March 2020 (https://www.nea.gov.sg/media/news/advisories/index/public-advisory-for-qing-ming-festival-2020)

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For more information, please contact us at 1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632) or submit your enquiries electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.

Annex A

Operating Hours for Government-Managed Columbaria until 26 April 2020

Monday – Opens at 8:00am 

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – 24 Hours

Friday – Closes at 5:30pm

Eve of Public Holidays (9 April, Thursday) – Closes at 5:30pm

Public Holidays (10 April, Friday) and Weekends – Closed