CEBU CITY — Only those vaccinated individuals here will be allowed to visit cemeteries for the All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day on November 1 and 2, respectively.
That was one of the proposed guidelines that the Archdiocese of Cebu had recommended to the city government to prevent overcrowding in cemeteries during the two-day period.
In a meeting attended by parish priests administering cemeteries, it was also proposed that children below 14 years old will not be allowed to enter cemeteries.
Individuals aged 66 and above will only be allowed to visit cemeteries if they are already fully vaccinated.
It was also proposed that vaccination cards must be presented before one is allowed to enter the cemetery.
The public must also follow the time of visitation which was proposed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The number of persons allowed during the allotted time must not exceed 50 percent capacity of the cemetery's land area.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) was in favor of the proposal that only those vaccinated individuals will be allowed to visit cemeteries.
Police Lt. Col. Wilbert Parilla, CCPO's deputy director for operations, said that scheduling of visitations must also be imposed to better control the crowd.
For his part, Acting Mayor Michael Rama said the Archdiocese's proposals will be deliberated thoroughly.
Upon consultation with stakeholders, the matter will be brought up with the Inter-Agency Task Force for further discussion.
City Councilor Joel Garganera, chief of the city's Emergency Operations Center, thanked the Archdiocese for coming up with the proposals that would help ensure a smooth observation of the All Saints' and All Souls' Days.