Manila cancels parade amid ongoing pandemic

MANILA: The Philippine capital Manila yesterday cancelled January’s annual procession of a centuries-old black wooden statue of Jesus Christ that draws millions of Roman Catholic devotees as the coronavirus pandemic continues to afflict the country.

The Philippines, renowned for its colourful religious rituals, has the second-highest number of novel coronavirus infections and deaths in Southeast Asia behind Indonesia.

“The grand procession of the lifesized image of the Black Nazarene in January 2021 has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the city government of Manila said.

Millions of devotees, mostly in yellow and maroon shirts and walking barefoot, typically jostle to get near a carriage bearing the lifesized image of the “Black Nazarene” shouldering a heavy cross. The statue, carved in Mexico, is believed to have miraculous healing powers.

The procession, a tradition in the former Spanish colony that goes back more than two centuries, usually lasts more than 20 hours.

Manila, the country’s coronavirus hotspot, is under partial quarantine restrictions until the end of October, with mass gatherings banned and social distancing measures imposed on public transport.

Cemeteries and columbaria have been ordered to close to prevent crowding during the All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day holidays starting in late October, while seating capacity in churches is currently capped at 30%.

About 80% of the country’s 107 million people identify as Roman Catholic after hundreds of years as a Spanish colony.