All public and private cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaries in Antipolo City are closed from October 29 to November 2, 2021.
The office of Mayor Andrea Bautista Ynares, in an advisory posted on her Facebook page, announced that the existing health and safety protocols during the pandemic are the reasons behind the five-day closure of all cemeteries in the city.
The city government encouraged the public to visit memorial parks ahead of the scheduled closure so as to prevent crowding in these areas.
It also advised its residents to light candles at home instead of going to cemeteries, thus minimizing or eliminating the chances of getting infected with the dreaded coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
A few days prior to their temporary closure, public and private cemeteries located on M. Santos Street in Antipolo City, the usual practice of people cleaning and painting the tombs in the public cemetery a few days prior to November 1, All Saint’s Day, was not observed this time of the year by this reporter.