Few visitors still go to NCR cemeteries on Undas despite closure —Abalos

Published November 01, 2021 11:08 AM By JOVILAND RITA,GMA News

Few Filipinos still attempted to visit cemeteries for All Souls' and All Saints' Days despite the government-sanctioned closure of such places amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairperson Benhur Abalos said Monday.

So far, the public has been compliant to the order of the national government not to visit cemeteries during the occasion to avoid crowding and spreading COVID-19, Abalos said in a radio interview.

“Of course, may iilan-ilan na siguro hindi nila [alam] at pumunta pa rin ng sementeryo, but it's very manageable. Maganda naman. Sarado naman  talaga,” he said.

(Of course, there are few who still went to the cemeteries, perhaps they were not aware of the prohibition, but it’s very manageable. The compliance is good. The cemeteries are really closed.)

The Philippine National Police deployed policemen

to cemeteries to guard them from visitors and ensure that only those with scheduled burial to attend to will be allowed to enter.

Amid the pandemic, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases ordered the closure of all cemeteries from October 29 to November 2.

The public may visit cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria only before October 29 or after November 2.

Visitors must be limited to 10 persons per group, and the venue must only allow 30% of capacity, though this can be raised to 50% if the local government unit authorizes it.

Before the closure, however, many Filipinos already trooped to cemeteries to visit their departed loved ones. —KBK, GMA News

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