(Eagle News) – Religious activities and work-related gatherings will be allowed in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ), with strict observance of social distancing, according to Malacanang a day before May 1, the start of the so-called “new normal” of extended quarantine protocols.
“Ngayon po, ung mga essential work gatherings and religious activies, pupwede na pong magpatuloy provided mayroong social distancing na at least two meters (Now, essential work gatherings and religious activities may continue, provided there is social distancing of at least two meters),” Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque said in a press briefing held at Malacanang on Thursday, April 30.
Roque emphasized that wearing of face masks, face shields and facial protective equipment, as well as observance of other minimum health requirements, will be mandatory in these gatherings.
(Editor’s note: On May 1, Roque said that this decision will be again be studied by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases after Malacanang received numerous calls from local government units (LGUs) expressing concern and worry about this. This meant that this will be put on hold until decided on with finality by IATF. After the IATF meeting that day, Roque announced that the IATF had decided to still ban religious and work gatherings nationwide during the quarantine period in the interest of public health.)
Interior Government Secretary Eduardo Año said that implementation of the social distancing and minimum health requirements will be up to the leaders of religious groups.
-Iglesia Ni Cristo cited as an example by Año-
During the Q and A portion with members of the media, Año cited as an example the practice observed by the Iglesia Ni Cristo in their worship services.
“Nasa atin na pong mga religious leaders na kung paano ito ipapatupad. May mga gumagawa naman nito before, like for example yung Iglesia Ni Cristo, yung isang serbisyo nila ginawa nilang tatlo…so masa-satisfy nila ung two meter distance between worshippers (It will be up to the leaders of religious groups how this will be implemented. Other [groups] have done this before, for example the Iglesia Ni Cristo, they conducted three worship services instead of one, to satisfy the two meter distance between worshippers)”, Año said.
He also clarified that mass gatherings in general are still prohibited, except for the two relevant activities already mentioned, and that they did not define mass gatherings by the number of participants so as to avoid possible circumvention of the prohibition.
“[A]ng importante dito ay distansya, two meters, at walang magkakasama at magkakatabi. Wala na tayong numerong pinag-uusapan dito (The important thing here is the distance of two meters, no clustering or sitting together. We are not talking about numbers here)”, Año said.
Eagle News Service
