Caloocan bishop slams ban on religious gatherings during ‘holiest time’ of Lent

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines vice president and Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David on Monday slammed the government’s decision to ban religious gatherings anew following the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

In a Facebook post, David questioned why the government banned religious gatherings “during the holiest time of the year” but allowed other establishments to operate.

“In spite of our adherence to strict protocol, you lock down our churches during the holiest time of the year and allow 70 percent capacity in fitness centers and 50 percent in establishments for personal care services, including spas?!!!” David said.

“All right. May God have mercy on your souls!” he added.

Earlier, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said operational capacities of essential and non-essential services/industries will be maintained, subject to safety protocols and minimum public health standards, with 30 to 50 percent operational or on-site capacity where applicable during the two-week general community quarantine with stricter restrictions in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Personal care service establishments are also allowed but limited to 50 percent of venue capacity.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases endorsed the implementation of the new regulations starting Monday, March 22, until April 4, 2021 in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.

The government also temporarily banned non-essential travel to and from Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna.

The country is seeing a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases, which the Department of Health said is being driven by new coronavirus variants and relaxed adherence to health protocols.

So far, the country has detected 223 B.1.1.7 (UK) variant cases, 152 B.1.351 (South Africa) variant cases, one P.1 (Brazil) variant case, and over 100 P.3 variant vases.

The Philippines on Monday logged a record 8,019 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total tally to 671,792. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/BM, GMA News