As the COVID-19 crisis sweeps the entire world, Australia has banned all congregations, religious and otherwise, to ensure that the spread of the virus is contained. Even though places of worship remain open, most religious places like temples and gurdwaras have appealed to worshippers to stay at home for the time being.
Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, announced that places of worship would be treated as workplaces which respected the four square metre separation rules. He also suggested that people could attend congregations online instead to avoid going to church over Easter. Stating that the federal government had consulted with religious organisations, he said, “Watching events online means that there can be additional people taking part in the celebration of these services, not people going to church.” With the Vatican already offering mass online, many places of worship including temples and Gurdwaras across Australia have adopted the e-worship formula for the isolation period.
Temples and Gurdwaras across the country are going live on Facebook in order to offer service to their followers.
Sydney’s Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), has been live-streaming its sabha each Sunday for the devout. Their first online assembly was attended across 4500 devices across Australia and New Zealand.
In Melbourne, the Sri Durga Temple has been webcasting their weekly assemblies in an order to connect with the devotees across different cities. And online assemblies are working better than expected. With people joining in from all across the country, and even beyond, these live streams are extremely popular among people.
Gurdwaras across Australia have cancelled all their events until further notice but remain open for community service. Gurdwaras workers have been at the frontline providing meals and groceries to healthcare workers and the needy.
The Sikh Volunteers Australia (SVA) are currently working with 20 volunteers to provide over 800 meals per day in Victoria.
As the crisis worsens, SVA is connecting with the families in Victoria over Facebook in order to request aid and information.
Other Sikh communities like United Sikhs and Gurdwara Sahib Tarniet are also working on a local level to provide meals and groceries to international students as well as the needy. With all of these ongoing activities, online connectivity has proven to be a helping hand for all of these institutions.
COVID-19 has proven to be an unprecedented crisis, and the looming uncertainty of a lockdown and isolation has been stressful for people in Australia. Assemblies, sabhas and bhajans being streamed online are offering a sense of normalcy in these uncertain times. E-worship is offering devouts the chance to remain connected to their faith when they require it the most.
