Faithful urged to be vigilant amid eased restrictions in churches

MANILA – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Friday reminded the faithful to remain vigilant against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) despite the easing of restrictions in religious gatherings.

“While some protocols are now being relaxed, we urge the public to still exercise caution as Covid-19 hasn’t been extinguished yet from our midst,” CBCP Permanent Committee on Public Affairs, Fr. Jerome Secillano, said in a Viber message.

This, as the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) allowed religious services at 50 percent seating capacity from the current 30 percent capacity in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) starting February 15.

“We are still not safe from this virus and its unpredictable nature makes it really a threat to everyone’s health,” the CBCP-PCPA official added.

Secillano, however, said he is not privy as to whether the CBCP has requested the government to allow a higher seating capacity in churches.

“I didn’t know of any official request from the CBCP concerning the matter. The IATF is deciding based on their appreciation of the situation,” he added.

Aside from Metro Manila, the other areas under GCQ until the end of this month are the Cordillera Administrative Region, the provinces of Batangas, Davao del Norte, Lanao del Sur; Tacloban City, Davao City, and Iligan City.

The rest of the country is under a modified GCQ.