Stay off cemeteries, seniors advised

Filipinos from all walks of life trooped to various cemeteries in Metro Manila ahead of “Undas” or All-Souls’ Day on 2 November.

Early Sunday at the Manila South Cemetery (MSC), authorities estimated that 5,000 people have already visited their departed loved ones, cleaning their graves, lighting candles and saying prayers.

MSC has limited its visitors’ to 30 percent of its capacity before totally closing its gates from 29 October to 3 November in line with the city government’s order, cemetery director Raffy Mendez said.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and many other local executives in the National Capital Region have ordered the closure of cemeteries within their localities on dates sandwiching 1 to 2 November, during which All-Saints’ and All-Souls’ Days are commemorated.

5,000 visit Manila South Cemetery ahead of Undas.

The closure of cemeteries and columbaria are intended to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Each year, before the pandemic, Filipinos thronged cemeteries by the thousands to remember those who passed away. With Covid-19, authorities deemed packing cemeteries with people may result in Covid-19 cases surging.

The Covid-19 reproduction rate has gone down to 0.5 in recent days with new cases ranging from a low of 3,500 to 5,000 a day.

Mendez reported that an elderly slipped at the MSC Saturday, thus they are advising against visits by children and senior citizens.

In a television interview, Mendez said in Filipino that: “Like yesterday, an accident happened when the elderly slipped. It was good the MDRRMO (disaster response team) was there.”

“Now, a Sunday, it’s raining, so for us, much as we’d like for them to come, the weather is bad. For their own good (they shouldn’t go),” he added.