SINGAPORE - The 12 religious organisations that will have more congregants for prayers were chosen after consulting faith leaders and they reflect the religious diversity here, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) on Wednesday (Aug 5).

A ministry spokesman told The Straits Times that it will be working with other organisations that want to increase the number of congregants.

He also said that more may be allowed to do so.

The Government announced on Monday that it would ease some Covid-19 restrictions.

As a pilot test, 12 religious organisations - comprising mosques, Hindu temples, churches, a Buddhist temple and a Sikh gurdwara - will be allowed to hold gatherings of up to 100 people, double the number they are now allowed to host at any one time.

MCCY gave the explanation following reports that some religious organisations had complained about being left out.

Chinese-language evening daily Shin Min Daily News reported on Tuesday that some Taoist groups were unhappy about not being included, and more than 20 temples had made complaints to the Taoist Federation.

In choosing the 12, the MCCY had consulted religious leaders who are also members of the National Steering Committee (NSC) on Racial and Religious Harmony.

Members of the NSC include the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore, the Hindu Advisory Board, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), the National Council of Churches Singapore, the Sikh Advisory Board, and the Taoist Federation.

The organisations chosen were also found to have proven that they could conduct services for up to 50 people with safe management practices in place, said MCCY.

This includes requiring congregants to wear a face mask at all times, and not allowing singing and live performances.

On Monday, the ministry announced that the move to expand the number of spots for congregants in these 12 places would result in new safe distancing measures, such as the use of two separate zones of up to 50 people each.

Preparations are under way for the additional worshippers in these spaces.

One of them, the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, will be implementing an enhanced zoning system to limit the number of people in various halls within the premises, so as to minimise the risk of infection when more congregants visit on Sunday.

The four mosques that have been allowed to take in more worshippers will be opening additional entry and exit points or staggering the timings for arrivals and departures of congregants to prepare for the additional load on Friday.

MCCY said on Wednesday that the number of religious organisations (ROs) allowed to host more congregants may increase in the future.

"We expect the number of ROs on the pilot may increase over time, as ROs and the community gain confidence in the implementation of the safe management measures," said the spokesman.