The Taguig City government has relaxed the rules on the number of people in places of worship and religious gatherings. 

In an advisory, the Taguig Safe City Task Force said starting Feb. 15, the maximum allowed capacity in places of worship and religious gatherings in the city will now be up to 50 percent from the previous 30 percent. 

The updated rule is in compliance with Resolution No. 99 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), which stated that “religious gatherings in areas under General Community Quarantine shall be allowed up to fifty percent (50%) of the seating or venue capacity.” 

“Provided that religious gatherings shall be limited to the conduct of religious worship and/or service; Provided further that there is no objection from the local government unit where the religious gathering may take place,” according to the resolution. 

The task force, however, said all safety and health protocols must be strictly observed. These include implementing the “no face mask, not face shield, no entry” policy; only those between 18 and 65 years old are allowed to attend religious gatherings; distance between seated attendees should at least be one meter; venues should have proper ventilation and continuous air circulation; eating inside the venues is prohibited; and all visitors are limited to a maximum of two hours per visit. 

“All church leaders, owners, and managers of places of worship and venues for religious gatherings, their Designated Safety Officers (DSOs), as well as their respective churchgoers, are required to use the City's Taguig Response and Assessment for COVID Emergency or T.R.A.C.E. App for ease of contact tracing and assessment of their respective health status,” the task force said. 

Any violation of the guidelines is punishable under the law, including Taguig City Ordinance No. 24, the "New Normal Ordinance of Taguig City."