Wednesday, June 17, 2020

COVID-19: Calgary Sikh temple ready to welcome back weddings as Stage 2 allows for more guests



Calgary Sikh Temple,Canada

Places of worship in Calgary are welcoming more guests now that Stage 2 rules are in place.

Stage 2 of Alberta’s relaunch strategy amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic took effect on June 12.

There is no cap on the number of people attending worship gatherings if physical distancing measures are in place. For outdoor events and indoor seated and audience events that are not worship gatherings, including wedding and funeral ceremonies, a maximum of 100 people are allowed.




Dashmesh Culture Centre in northeast Calgary,Canada

At the Dashmesh Culture Centre in northeast Calgary, there are taped markers on the floor to remind people to keep their distance. The huge prayer hall that used to allow for 500 Sikh faithful can now fit a maximum of 110.

“It brings everyone together and through all this, it’s been hard to be sitting at home and it just gives you a chance to reconnect and be able to clear your mind and enjoy getting out,” said Dashmesh Culture Centre volunteer Raj Sidhu. He said he has no safety concerns about attending services again since COVID-19 regulations shut down the gurdwara in March.

The gurdwara was quick to reopen at the start of June at when Stage 1 of Alberta’s relaunch went into effect.
Now, with Stage 2 rules allowing for 100 people maximum at indoor seated events, there has been a surge of interest in rebooking the dozens of cancelled weddings at the Sikh temple.

“It is a great impact because people have been waiting for years to get married, and with all this COVID-19 situation, everything is changed and weddings were cancelled so they are very excited and happy and lots of parents are excited,” said Dashmesh Culture Centre president Amanpreet Singh Gill.



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