Kek Lok Si to usher in CNY with bright lights on Feb 7

The iconic Kek Lok Si Temple in Ayer Itam lit up with tens of thousands of LEDs, neon lights and traditional Chinese lanterns to celebrate Chinese New Year, Ayer Itam, Penang.- Filepic Starpic by LIM BENG TATT/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Kek Lok Si Temple here will still be lit with colourful lights to usher in the Year of the Ox.

This Chinese New Year, tens of thousands of LED neon lights and traditional Chinese lanterns will be put up from Feb 7 to March 11.

Kek Lok Si Temple trustee Datuk Seri Steven Ooi said the 130-year-old monastery would be illuminated all the way up to the 33.6m-tall Kuan Yin statue and pavilion during the Chinese New Year.

“Due to the pandemic, we have prepared several back-up plans which include live streaming on online platforms.

“We are not sure whether the temple will be open to the public during the lighting-up ceremony on Feb 7. If the situation improves, we might consider allowing visitors to the temple.

“We will ensure all standard operating procedure (SOP) are adhered to, including controlling the number of visitors at the temple to avoid overcrowding, ” he said in a phone interview yesterday.

Ooi added that the temple had been stressing on SOP adherence.

“Kek Lok Si Temple is one of the tourist attractions in Penang. Ever since interstate travel was allowed last year, we made sure that visitors adhered to the SOP.

“The temple area is large and it is not a problem for visitors to maintain physical distancing, ” he said.