The Manila North Cemetery in Sta. Cruz, Manila was padlocked on Wednesday afternoon in line with the government's order to close all cemeteries in the country during the "Undas" period amid the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
The cemetery, one of the oldest and largest in the capital city, will be reopened to the public on November 5.
Police and personnel of Manila North Cemetery will be on guard during the temporary closure in case of violations. A holding area was also set up should they be able to arrest violators.
Meanwhile, those who live inside the cemetery and are authorized persons outside of residence (APORs) will be allowed to go in and out of the area.
Manila North Cemetery received a total of 427,928 visitors from September 20 to 28, data from the city government showed. More visitors are expected once the cemetery reopens.
On September 8, Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso ordered the temporary closure of all memorial parks, cemeteries, and columbaries from October 31 to November 3 to prevent a surge in COVID-19 infections.
However, interment and cremation services for non-COVID-19 cases will still be allowed provided that minimum public health standards and social distancing will be observed.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has ordered earlier that all memorial parks, cemeteries, and columbaries in the country will be closed from October 29 to November 4.