MANILA (UCAN): The Philippines has begun relaxing Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) restrictions imposed on churches, allowing more people to attend Masses and other services.
As of February 15, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has lifted the 30 per cent maximum seating capacity in churches. Presidential spokesperson, Harry Roque, confirmed the news on national television on February 17.
“We started to allow on February 15 religious gatherings up to 50 per cent of the seating or venue capacity of churches,” Roque said.
Children and those over 60 years-old, however, are still barred from attending mass religious activities, he added.
“We would like to thank our health authorities for listening to the call of our bishops to allow more parishioners to enter churches. We received reports saying that churches are not the spreaders of the virus provided health protocols are followed,” said a group of altar servers in San Jacinto Parish in Quezon City, Manila.
“We would like to thank our health authorities for listening to the call of our bishops to allow more parishioners to enter churches. We received reports saying that churches are not the spreaders of the virus provided health protocols are followed,” said a group of altar servers in San Jacinto Parish in Quezon City, Manila.
Roque’s announcement meant priests could celebrate more Masses on Sundays and during Lent, they said.
“If more people can enter churches, priests can celebrate more Masses to accommodate more parishioners,” the altar servers said.
A group of catechists also thanked health authorities for listening to the call of the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, Bishop Broderick Pabillo.
Bishop Pabillo had earlier called for restrictions to be relaxed, saying Masses would not cause virus clusters if proper protocols were in place.
“It’s a blessing the IATF has allowed more people to enter churches. Celebrating Mass on television is very different compared to attending it in person. One can really feel the presence of Christ in a church attending a live Mass,” Mariel De Guzman, a catechist in the archdiocese, said.
De Guzman also said that more people needed to attend Mass because of the psychological “ill effects” lockdowns had brought upon many.
“With the economic problems that we (Filipinos) have … job retrenchments, lack of job opportunities, expensive Covid testing, to whom can we go? To Jesus. Only to Christ. He gives us hope during this desperate time,” De Guzman said.
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However, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reminded people not to take the Covid-19 coronavirus lightly, especially the new UK (United Kingdom) strain that has been spreading in the Philippines.
CBCP executive secretary, Father Jerome Secillano, said all people should remain cautious and must reveal if they experience Covid-19 symptoms after a service.
“Covid-19 hasn’t been extinguished yet from our midst. We are still not safe from this virus and its unpredictable nature makes it a major threat to everyone’s health,” Father Secillano told Radio Veritas.
