Individuals who have yet to be vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) should just attend "Simbang Gabi" or the traditional early morning mass virtually.
Cabinet Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles made this suggestion to Filipinos Wednesday, Dec. 15, a day before the start of the Simbang Gabi.
"Sa mga hindi pa po bakunado, mas mainam po na mag-attend na lang po ng online or virtual Simbang Gabi. Mas mainam po, magpabakuna na po tayo. Ingat po ang lahat (For those who are unvaccinated, it's better to just attend the Simbang Gabi online or virtually. But better still, let's take the jab. Everybody should be careful)," Nograles said in a virtual press conference.
As a general rule for attending the pre-dawn mass, Nograles urged church-goers to continue observing minimum public health standards (MPHS).
"Mag-mask po, hugas, iwas pa rin po tayo lalo na nandyan pa rin yung banta ng Omicron variant (Wear masks, wash your hands, and avoid crowded areas especially with the threat of the Omicron variant)," the Palace official said.
Just minutes after the Cabinet Secretary made this appeal to the public, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the presence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the Philippines.
Simbang Gabi runs for nine days from Dec. 16 to 24, or Christmas eve. Many Filipinos believe that completing the attendance for all masses will grant the church-goer a wish.
The entire Philippines is currently under alert level 2, the second most lenient classification under the Alert Level System (ALS) for COVID-19 response