DAVAO CITY – Churches in Davao City can now conduct Holy Mass services on Sundays, Mayor Sara Duterte said.
In an interview with Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5), Duterte said as the local government further eased its restrictions, the ban on all religious activities on Sundays during the extended modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) period is also lifted.
This will be the first time that the churches can resume Sunday religious activities since the lockdown was imposed last March, 2020, which prohibited mass gatherings to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Section 19 of Executive Order 47 issued last Tuesday provides that all religious ceremonies must not be more than 50 percent of the seating capacity of the place of worship.
It requires church-goers to wear masks and must be at least one meter apart from each other.
The local government previously allowed religious activities to be conducted only from Mondays to Saturdays, and prohibited the movement of people on Sundays when the city shifted from the general community quarantine to the less restrictive MGCQ last July 1.
The entire city was placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from April 4 to May 15, general community quarantine from May 16 to June 30, and modified GCQ last July 1 and has been extended until August 15.
Duterte added that she had already informed leaders of Iglesia ni Cristo and Catholic churches in the city to strictly observe the basic health standards during religious activities.
Duterte appealed to the Dabawenyos to strictly adhere to the basic health standards, such as staying at home, wearing face masks, observing one-meter away from other people, and frequent hand-washing with soap and water.