PHOTO: Froilan Gallardo
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday urged devotees who attended the Feast of the Black Nazarene or Nazareno 2023, to isolate and contact their respective local government units (LGUs) if they’re experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
“Paalala lamang po sa mga taong um-attend nitong Feast ng Black Nazarene, maaari lamang pong obserbahan ang ating mga sarili,” said DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press forum.
(Just a reminder to those who attended this Feast of the Black Nazarene, observe ourselves.)
“Kung sakasakali lamang pong nakakaramdam na para pong tinatrangkaso, sinisipon, inuubo, linalagnat, mag-isolate na agad at tumawag sa ating local governments for proper management,” she added.
(If you feel like you have the flu, cold, cough, or fever, isolate yourself immediately and call our local governments for proper management.)
Vergeire then urged devotees to wear face masks for the next five days to prevent the spreading of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Vergeire assured the public that the DOH would continue monitoring changes in COVID-19 cases, especially after the celebration of Nazareno 2023, but noted that it would need two weeks to notice any development.
“Ang isang event ‘pag nangyari kailangan maghintay tayo ng two weeks because of the incubation period (when an event happens, we have to wait two weeks because of the incubation period),” said Vergeire.
“We have had several events like this before, like the main elections, political campaigns, and rallies, but we were able to maintain that number of cases minimum,” she added.
Vergeire also noted that the DOH observed devotees wearing face masks when they attended Nazareno 2023, which is an effective measure to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
“Naniniwala tayo na ‘yung bakuna talaga ay pinoproteksyunan tayo at naniniwala din tayo at nakikita din natin na ang ating mga kababayan ay nag iingat at pino-proteksyonan ang sarili,” she said.
(We believe that the vaccine actually protects us and we also believe and we also see that our countrymen take care and protect themselves.)
Based on the latest numbers from the Quiapo Church Operation Center, a total of 1,268,435 devotees participated in Nazareno 2023.
Meanwhile, 925,782 gathered at Quiapo Church, 254,653 at the Quirino Grandstand, and 88,000 participated in the “Walk of Faith” procession.