Mass gatherings for religious services have been allowed in areas under modified general community quarantine—but only at 50 percent capacity to ensure social distancing. For areas under general community quarantine, meanwhile, only ten persons are allowed to attend a religious gathering.
In addition to marked pews and a “no mask, no entry” policy, churches in the diocese of Pasig are required to have attendees fill out personal information forms upon entering the church. The forms will be used for contact tracing purposes that may help in identifying those who may be infected by the virus.
The Diocese of Pasig announced this in an administrative decree addressed to “all diocesan and religious clergy, religious communities and people of God.” It also reminded the public that the elderly, those feeling unwell or are sick and people who prefer to exercise extreme caution are encouraged to stay at home and watch mass online.
“At the entrance doors of the church, they will be given a form which they can bring in their seats. They will fill up the forms upon (sitting) in the pews with the corresponding details (name, address, contact number, date and time of the Mass attended and seat number),” wrote Pasig Bishop Mylo Vergara. After the mass, they will submit the forms at the exit doors of the church.
Churches will have designated entrance and exit doors with marshalls assigned to each to control the crowd and ensure social distancing. Holy water will not be dispensed and air conditioning inside churches is not encouraged.
Priests will also keep their homilies short—not lasting more than ten minutes and a protective cloth will be placed over microphones throughout the whole duration of the mass.
For more information on the guidelines for religious gatherings, visit the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig on Facebook.
Header photo courtesy of Ev Espiritu from Inquirer.net
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