UNDAS SAFETY. Undated photo shows a cemetery in Cebu City before the Covid-19 pandemic. Emergency Operations Center head Councilor Joel Garganera on Tuesday (Oct. 12, 2021) said the Cebu City government is mulling adopting the proposal of the Archdiocese of Cebu to allow only vaccinated individuals to enter cemeteries for this year's Undas observance. (PNA file photo)
CEBU CITY – The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) here is mulling the opening of local cemeteries only to individuals who have been vaccinated against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) during the "Undas" or All Souls' and All Saints' Day observance.
Councilor Joel Garganera, EOC head, said the city is open to adopting the idea of the Roman Catholic Church but such proposal is subject to Acting Mayor Michael Rama’s approval.
He said Rama will issue consolidated guidelines for the observance of this year's Undas in the city through an executive order.
“As I said, it’s an idea of the church… We don’t have to be afraid if the city will venture into this idea as long as we are safe against the Covid-19,” Garganera told reporters.
He said Rama will meet with stakeholders to discuss the proposal of the Archdiocese of Cebu to open the cemeteries only for the vaccinated residents.
The councilor did not specify, however, if the vaccinated include those who have just received the first dose or only those who are considered fully inoculated after getting their second dose.
“They gave us a paper (that contains their) proposed guidelines for two days (Nov. 1 and 2) and they also have proposed guidelines for the week before and the week after. The church is very safety conscious,” Garganera said.
Residents who are 15 years old and below and those who are 65 and above should not be permitted to visit cemeteries, he also noted.
However, church officials also proposed allowing senior citizens who are 65 and above if they are fully-vaccinated, the official added.
Councilor David Tumulak, meanwhile, said the city government has assured the public that safety measures would be in place before, during and after Undas.
“What is important is that the people fully understand that we need to maintain order and physical distancing in the cemetery,” he said. (PNA)
