Religious gatherings now allowed in Metro Manila

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has already approved the holding of religious gatherings in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) such as the National Capital Region (NCR).

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the IATF and religious groups met on Monday and decided to keep the present guidelines on mass gatherings including religious worship.

Guevarra, however, said public masses in the NCR where cases of COVID-19 are high will be limited only to 10 attendees per mass to ensure social distancing.

“However, the Department of Health (DOH) will submit new data analytics on June 10, which will be the basis for possible reclassification of community quarantine regimes by June 15,” Guevarra said.

Guevarra added that the IATF may allow more people to attend public masses if there will be a significant reduction of COVID-19 cases by June 15.

He also said that, since June 1, more people are already being allowed to attend religious gatherings in areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ). This as long as the number of people is limited to 50 percent of the venue's capacity. 

Despite the go signal given by the IATF, some Catholic Churches in Metro Manila opted not to start its public masses with limited number of attendees.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said the Archdiocese of Manila will continue to ask the IATF to consider religious activities as an essential service to the faithful.

Pabillo said the IATF may have not considered the different sizes and capacities of church buildings when it came out with the decision to limit the number of attendees.

The Archdiocese of Manila has yet to open its doors for public masses.