NCR mayors agree to restrict access to cemeteries from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, 2021 –MMDA

The Metro Manila mayors have approved a resolution urging the local government units to restrict access to public and private cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria from October 29 to November 2, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benhur Abalos announced on Tuesday.

Abalos said the resolution aims to avoid “superspreader” events during the observance of Undas or All Saints' and Souls' Day.

“Para makatulong sa hindi pagkalat ng mga sakit, baka magsabayan na naman tayo, we opted na 'yung ginawa last year, i-adopt ulit. Instead of going to the cemetery on November 1, ang gagawin na lang natin pumunta na, ngayon pa lang dumalaw na. I-spread na natin sa maraming araw para 'wag magkahawaan, that is the purpose of this,” Abalos said in a press briefing.

(To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 disease, we opted to adopt what we had done last year. Instead of going to the cemetery on November 1, what we will do is allow them to go and visit now.)

“If you are going to close it for just one day or two days ganun din ang magiging effect, if you close it on November 1 or November 2 magsisiksikan ng October 31 that is the logic here. I hope maunawaan nating lahat,” he added.

(If you are going to close it for just one or two days, it will have the same effect. If you close it on November 1 or November 2 it will be crowded on October 31 that is the logic here. I hope you all understand.)

Abalos said the public can go to the cemeteries before October 29 or later than November 2, subject to the prescribed 30% venue capacity and compliance to health protocols.

There are 29 public cemeteries in Metro Manila.

Abalos also presented a resolution by the Metro Manila mayors to shorten the curfew hours from 12 midnight to 4 a.m. starting October 13, Wednesday, since the number of COVID-19 cases has gone down since the implementation of the Alert Level 4.

The current curfew is from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

“Everything is going down, even the hospital, that is why the mayors really are praying that the alert level will also go down, in fact right now ginagalaw na namin ang economy talagang full support kami dito,” he said.

The MMDA chairman bared that the occupancy of isolation facilities, at the start of the implementation of Alert Level 4, was at 72.8% but improved to 42.59% on Sunday, October 10.

Abalos said at least 3,337 families were affected during granular lockdowns on September 18, however, it decreased to 1,366 families on October 10.

The occupancy of the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities also dropped from 68% to 32%, he added.—AOL, GMA News