Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro. (File photo)
MANILA – The Marikina City government on Thursday said it will allow visitors to cemeteries at 30 percent capacity ahead of the commemoration of All Saints' and All Souls Days.
"Alam natin na ang threat ng Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) ay hindi mawawala, at ang viral transmission ay puwedeng ma-heighten o magkaroon pa ng mas maraming kaso kung magkakaroon ng mass gathering lalo na sa pagdalaw ng mga kababayan natin sa puntod ng kanilang mga namayapang minamahal (We know that the threat of Covid-19 will not be gone anytime soon and the viral transmission can be heightened and more infections are possible due to mass gatherings, especially when the people flock to cemeteries to visit their departed loved ones)," Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said in a statement.
Cemeteries in the city would be closed from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, he added.
Teodoro said he would issue an executive order to formalize the order, citing his legislative authority as the mayor especially now that the country is under a state of public health emergency due to Covid-19.
He would also order the city's four cemeteries to issue passes that indicate the specific schedule when people could visit their departed loved ones to avoid congestion and mass gatherings.
"We will give a window of opportunity to those who want to visit the cemeteries from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30. We would also give a schedule through the cemeteries' administration," Teodoro said.
The people may process their cemetery passes as early as October 1.
The five cemeteries in Marikina City are Loyola Memorial Park, Barangka Municipal Cemetery, Aglipay Cemetery, Holy Child Cemetery, and Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish Cemetery. (PNA)
