The Philippine coronavirus task force has approved a 30% seating capacity for religious gatherings like masses in general community quarantine (GCQ) areas like Metro Manila, Malacañang announced on Friday, October 23.

The decision comes as the predominantly Catholic country gears up for the Christmas season, when attendance to Simbang Gabi or Night Mass is a tradition.

“We had to cancel All Saints’ Day, our cemeteries are closed, and we’ve canceled many religious gatherings. So maybe, somehow, we can still continue our Christmas traditions though Simbang Gabi will only be at 30%,” Roque said in Filipino during a PTV interview.

Simbang Gabi  is the Filipino tradition of attending mass at dawn, or in the evening, for 9 consecutive days in preparation for Christmas. It begins on December 16 and ends on Christmas eve, December 24.

Prior to the decision, GCQ areas were only allowed to hold religious gatherings at 10% of venue capacity.

Metro Manila mayors had appealed to the national task force to increase this to 30%.

Due to the pandemic, the government closed all cemeteries on the week of Undas (All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day), or from October 29 to November 4.

Next year’s Traslacion, or the annual procession for the Black Nazarene attended by millions of Filipino devotees, was also canceled. – Rappler.com