Monuments in Nghe An strengthen epidemic prevention during the New Year holiday season

Increasestrengthen epidemic prevention work

Antiseptic water,face maskand signs instructing on how to prevent the epidemic safely, strictly implementing the "5K" regulations are easily seen at the Con Temple relic, both inside and outside the temple. For the convenience of the people, tables with free hand sanitizer and masks are placed in many different areas of the temple. Visitors to the Con Temple in the past were also required to make a clear health declaration before entering the relic to perform the ceremony. In addition to direct declaration, visitors can also declare their health by scanning the QR code...

Visitors to Con Temple strictly follow the "5K" regulations. Photo: MH

Although going to church during an epidemic is quite complicated, thanks to complete instructions, completing the procedures is not too difficult and convenient.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong, living in Ha Dong (Hanoi), said: My family lives in an epidemic area but this year we decided to return to my mother's hometown.Quy HopCelebrating Tet, I have to strictly follow the epidemic prevention regulations. Now that my self-isolation period at home has ended, I decided to go to Con Temple to give thanks at the end of the year. Coming here, in addition to being aware of protecting myself, I am quite assured because the epidemic prevention work is strictly implemented by the temple, visitors to the temple all ensure the "5K" regulations and there is not much risk of spreading the epidemic.

Con Temple is one of the spiritual destinations that attracts a large number of visitors to worship at the end of the year or the beginning of the new year. This year, due to the impact of the epidemic, the number of visitors to the temple has decreased by nearly half, but the number is still quite large with hundreds of visitors coming every day. According to the management board of the relic, previously, visitors to the temple were quite a lot of visitors from the northern provinces, but now because these provinces are experiencing an outbreak, the number of visitors has decreased significantly. For visitors in the province, most people are aware of epidemic prevention.

Visitors make health declarations when arriving at Con Temple. Photo: MH

To ensure safety, the Monument Management Board also requires all officers and employees performing the task of welcoming and serving visitors to wear masks when in contact, regularly wash their hands with sanitizer... For people and visitors, it is mandatory to fully carry out procedures to ensure epidemic prevention safety before entering the monument. At the entrance to the monument, there are medical and security staff... always on duty to remind people to comply with epidemic prevention measures.

Strengthening epidemic prevention work is also being carried out by many other relics in Hoang Mai town, especially at the end and beginning of the new year when the number of visitors is expected to increase significantly compared to normal days.

AllHoang Mai townThere are more than 70 relics, scenic spots, and in the first days of the new year, many relics have a very large number of visitors, such as the Con Temple relic, sometimes up to 30,000 - 40,000. This year, due to the impact of the epidemic, following the direction of the province, the relics in the town have temporarily suspended festival activities. However, the number of visitors to the relics is expected to be large, so the town has held a meeting and directed relevant forces such as security, local authorities and relic management boards to develop specific plans to welcome visitors. In particular, in the immediate future, it is necessary to step up propaganda work to raise people's awareness of epidemic prevention.

In addition, it is recommended that people who have not been fully vaccinated and come from high-risk epidemic areas should not visit relics in early spring. At the same time, the Medical Center is required to train those who are working or have shops at relics, and members of the management board on epidemic prevention. At the relics, there are volunteer teams always on duty to remind, guide and distribute free masks to the relics.

Mr. Nguyen Van Binh - Head of Culture Department of Hoang Mai town

At Bach Ma Temple (Thanh Chuong), the relic management board has also completed the installation of surveillance cameras to promptly remind visitors who do not comply with the "5K" regulations on disease prevention and control. Another new point is that the Management Board will use a loudspeaker system to regularly propagate disease prevention to help people raise their awareness of self-protection.

Signs on epidemic prevention regulations are placed in many locations at relics to remind people to raise awareness of epidemic prevention. Photo: MH

Mr. Hoang Van Thang - a member of the relic management board added: During holidays and Tet, we plan to arrange 1-3 more members along with security forces on duty to guide people to wear masks, disinfect, and keep distance when coming to the relic. In case of large groups, we suggest separating the groups to avoid large gatherings. The relic management board also recommends that people do not gather at the relic at the same time to ensure safety because the epidemic in Thanh Chuong district has been quite complicated in recent days and epidemic prevention and control is the most important and must be given top priority.

Limit mass gatherings

The Covid-19 pandemic re-emerged throughout 2021 and continued to increase in the last months of the old year, causing many programs to celebrate the Year of the Tiger at historical sites to be interrupted or expected to be reduced to a small scale.

InDuc Hau PagodaIn Nghi Duc commune (Vinh city), usually at the beginning of the new year, the number of tourists going to the pagoda will be very crowded, up to tens of thousands of people. However, this year, the number of visitors is expected to decrease by more than half and the activities to welcome the new year are also being considered and may have to change if the epidemic has new developments.

Monuments are being decorated for New Year's Eve celebrations. Photo: MH

Through discussion, Venerable Thich Dinh Tue - abbot of Duc Hau pagoda said: The New Year celebration program of Duc Hau pagoda is expected to start from December 21st of the lunar calendar and will last until January 20th of the year of Nham Dan with many activities such as year-end ceremony and year-end thanksgiving ceremony, peace-praying ceremony, New Year's Eve ceremony, opening of fortune, wishing for prosperity. On the 5th and 6th of Tet, the pagoda will hold the first writing ceremony of Spring, the ceremony of hanging cars, and vows to participate in traffic. These are activities that previously attracted thousands of visitors, many traffic routes to the pagoda were congested, but this year due to the impact of the epidemic, we predict that the number of visitors will decrease. The main reason is that visitors from far away or families with small children will limit their children from going to crowded places to avoid infection.

Tourists and Buddhists coming to Duc Hau Pagoda strictly follow the "5K" regulations. Photo: MH

In the context of the epidemic, the scale of the temple will also be smaller, instead of gathering a large number of people, we will practice social distancing and arrange in small groups. In addition, activities will also change if conditions are not favorable.

At Diec Co Tung Lam Pagoda (Vinh City), according to plan, from the evening of December 29, the pagoda will begin implementing activities such as opening the Universal Gate Sutra and distributing spring fortunes. The activities will last until the end of the full moon of January and are expected to attract tens of thousands of Buddhists and tourists to participate.

Diec Co Tung Lam Pagoda is one of the pagodas in the center of Vinh City, so there are usually many tourists during the New Year. To ensure safety, we will regularly propagate and remind visitors to strictly follow the "5K" regulations and the pagoda will provide enough hand sanitizer and masks to provide free of charge to everyone.

During the first days of the new year, the temple will mobilize more volunteers to regularly remind people to follow epidemic prevention regulations. In the main hall, we will arrange seats at the right distance and limit large gatherings.

Venerable Thich Minh Dinh - monk of Diec Co Tung Lam pagoda.

In the context of the current epidemic, before the Lunar New Year, the People's Committee of Nghe An province also requested to temporarily suspend the organization of all types of festivals before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2022 (from the first lunar month to the end of the third lunar month) during the Lunar New Year in the province. In addition, it requested to strictly implement measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic at historical and cultural relics according to regulations.

Duc Hau Pagoda prepares activities to welcome Spring. Photo: MH

The province has also assigned the Department of Culture and Sports and the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to strengthen the direction, coordination, inspection and supervision of the implementation of COVID-19 prevention and control measures in cultural and sports activities before, during and after the Lunar New Year; ensuring to serve people to celebrate Tet happily, healthily and safely, in accordance with the civilized lifestyle, customs, practices, cultural traditions of the nation and the COVID-19 epidemic situation of each locality.