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Singaporeans urged not to join Lee Kuan Yew queue as waiting time to see coffin hits 10 hours

Associated Press
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Tents are set up to provide shade for members of the public, as they stand in line to pay their respects for the late Lee Kuan Yew at the Parliament House where he will lie in state for four days, Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Singapore. Lee, 91, died Monday at Singapore General Hospital after more than a month of battling severe pneumonia. The government declared a week of mourning for the leader who is credited with transforming the resource-poor island into a wealthy finance and trade hub with low crime and corruption in a region saddled with graft, instability and poverty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) (The Associated Press)

Tents are set up to provide shade for members of the public, as they stand in line to pay their respects for the late Lee Kuan Yew at the Parliament House where he will lie in state for four days, Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Singapore. Lee, 91, died Monday at Singapore General Hospital after more than a month of battling severe pneumonia. The government declared a week of mourning for the leader who is credited with transforming the resource-poor island into a wealthy finance and trade hub with low crime and corruption in a region saddled with graft, instability and poverty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) (The Associated Press)

Members of the public pay their respects to the late Lee Kuan Yew at the Parliament House where he will lie in state for four days, Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Singapore. Lee, 91, died Monday at Singapore General Hospital after more than a month of battling severe pneumonia. The government declared a week of mourning for the leader who is credited with transforming the resource-poor island into a wealthy finance and trade hub with low crime and corruption in a region saddled with graft, instability and poverty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) (The Associated Press)

Singaporeans hoping for a glimpse of long-time leader Lee Kuan Yew's coffin are being urged to stay away from the sprawling queue as waiting times reach 10 hours.

The government said Friday that it "strongly advises" the public not to join the queue and to instead visit community tribute sites set up across the island.

The death of Lee at age 91 on Monday has been met with an outpouring of grief in Singapore. Lee was Singapore's prime minister for 31 years until 1990 and is regarded by Singaporeans as the architect of the city-state's economic success.

His body is lying in state at Parliament House until Saturday evening. A state funeral is set for Sunday.

As of late Thursday evening, nearly 150,000 people had viewed Lee's coffin.