CEBU CITY – The Archdiocese of Cebu will strictly implement the 50-percent seating capacity limit in churches during “Simbang Gabi” or the nine-day pre-dawn Masses leading to Christmas Day, amid the threat of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In Circular 29-2021 released Friday, the archdiocese said all dawn Masses “are to be closely coordinated with your respective local government units,” including those to be held in covered courts or sports gymnasium in the villages.

“We continue enforcing our usual liturgical health protocols, especially the wearing of face masks, conducting thermal scanning, and observing physical distancing,” said the statement released by the Archdiocese’s digital media ministry head, Fr. Jonathan Rubin, to media.

The policy is also in compliance with the rules set by the Inter-Agency Task for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

The entire country is under Alert Level 2, the second most relaxed of the five-tier alert level system, until December 15.

Due to the capacity limit, church officials will continue to encourage the faithful to participate in the dawn Masses through live streaming, the statement said.

The churches are also allowed under the guidelines from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines to celebrate an anticipated Mass at 6 p.m. starting on December 15 until the ninth day, it said.

The church hierarchy will allow two dawn Masses in parishes under the territorial jurisdiction of Cebu province, but the decision to split the celebration will be left to the discretion of the parish priest.

Parishes in Cebu City and other component cities in the province may also hold synchronized dawn Masses at 4 a.m. or 4:30 a.m. to diffuse churchgoers to different venues and prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, this option is left to the discretion of the parish priests.

“Generally, (the) Misa de Gallo (is) to be celebrated in parish churches. In order to decongest our parishes, said Masses can be celebrated in well-ventilated spacious barangay chapels, in covered courts, or barangay gymnasia but with the expressed permission given by our respective local government units, at least from the barangay level,” the statement further read.

Dawn Masses in subdivision chapels will be allowed if health protocols can be observed and they have been holding regular Sunday Masses before the pandemic.