Sara Duterte orders Davao City wakes, burials regulated to stop virus transmission

DAVAO CITY—Despite the start of the vaccination drive in the city, Mayor Sara Duterte ordered the regulation of wakes and burials to stop the spread of SARS Cov2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the city.

Executive Order No. 11, which the mayor signed on Wednesday (March 10), regulates the operations of funeral parlors, cemeteries, memorial parks and columbaria until the lifting of the state of calamity that had been declared nationwide because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her EO, Duterte cited the need to regulate wakes and burials to avoid mass gatherings, which medical experts identified as a major source of virus transmission in the city.

“There is a need to regulate wakes and burials to avoid mass gathering during these activities,” Duterte said in the order. “Medical specialists identify mass gatherings as a source of the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” she said.

Her EO restricts attendance at wakes, whether at home, funeral parlor or any other venue, to only family members. “The family in charge of the wake and the funeral parlor must ensure that there is no mass gathering among family members,” the order said.

The EO defined family members as those who are related to the deceased up to the fourth degree.

The mayor’s order also required a record of the dates and visits of all family members to a wake. Allowed at wakes are persons below 15 years old or above 65, those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity or other health risks and pregnant women.

But the mayor required health protocols to be strictly followed at wakes and burials. These included keeping a distance of at least 2 meters from one another and wearing face masks. Venues for wakes should be filled only up to 50 percent capacity, the order said.

TSB