East China’s Jiangsu province will regulate the annual tomb-sweeping ritual amid heightened epidemic control as sporadic resurgence of covid-19 cases have been reported in Jiangsu.
People in Jiangsu have been asked to avoid the gatherings of tomb-sweeping by making appointments and cemetery administrations have been asked to impose a ceiling on the flow of tomb worshipers, according to a notice issued by the Office of the Provincial Headquarters for the Joint Prevention and Control of Novel Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic.
No public gatherings will be held to worship the deceased, the notice said.
In areas classified as medium and high-risk zone, worshiping, farewell, and memorial services will be banned during the epidemic control periods.
In areas classified as low risk zones, worshipers are required to wear facial masks, show their health code and have their temperatures taken.
Funeral parlors will also be encouraged to open online memorial services so as to facilitate tomb-sweeping during the Qingming Festival.
Tomb-sweeping Festival, or Qingming Festival in Chinese, is a festival to worship ancestors and deceased relatives in China usually falls on April 4 or April 5.
