Visitors will temporarily be prohibited from entering the Manila North Cemetery and Manila South Cemetery this coming All Saints Day and All Souls Day to prevent gatherings in this time of pandemic.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno announced on Tuesday afternoon that he has signed the directive for the interim closure of the two cemeteries from October 31 to November 3.
Authorities explained that physical distancing will be difficult to maintain during the observance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. But those who want to visit their dearly departed family and friends in the said burial grounds are allowed to do so until October 30.
However, Moreno said he is prepared to withdraw the executive order once the COVID-19 situation improves or if there will be no reported COVID-19 case in the City of Manila before October 31.
“Kung sakali naman, dumating ang vaccine, o ‘yung vaccine para sa coronavirus para ‘di na tayo magkasakit at gumaling na maysakit by October 30, akin din itong kakanselahin (I will cancel this once the vaccine arrives for coronavirus so no one will get sick of it and those infected will have recovered by October 30),” Moreno assured.
The Manila North Cemetery usually has around 1.5 million visitors during the “Undas” season while Manila South Cemetery has around 800,000 visitors yearly. – PTV News
