‘Undas’ 2021: Cemeteries, columbaria in Manila City closed – LGU

FILE PHOTO: People flock to the grave of their loved ones during “Undas” in November 2016 in Barangka public cemetery. INQUIRER/EDWIN BACASMAS

MANILA, Philippines — Cemeteries and columbaria in the country’s capital city would again be closed for visitors during this year’s “Undas” amid persistent threats of the new coronavirus.

In signing Executive Order (EO) No. 33, Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso ordered the closure of the Manila North Cemetery, Manila South Cemetery, Manila Muslim Cemetery, as well as other public and private memorial parks, burial grounds, and columbaria in the city from October 23 to November 3.

EO 33 also states that only “internment and cremation services for non-COVID 19 cases shall be allowed subject to the strict observance of minimum public health standards and social distancing.”

“The Directors of the Manila Cemeteries, with the assistance of the Manila Police District, the Manila Health Department, the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Department of Public Services are directed to ensure compliance and implementation of this Order,” it says.

Moreno said failure to comply with EO 33 should lead to the revocation of the local permits issued to these establishments.

Millions of Filipinos visit the final resting place of their departed loved ones – in cemeteries and columbaria – on All Saints’ Day, November 1, and even on All Souls’ Day, November 2, as a tradition.

But the COVID-19 pandemic has affected this established practice since last year, as the government bars mass gatherings in a bid to prevent the transmission of the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In 2020, cemeteries and columbariums in Metro Manila were closed during Undas due to COVID-19.

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