San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora announced on Friday, Oct. 14, that the city is prepared for the observance of "Undas 2022."
In an interview with ABS-CBN, Zamora said the city had already revamped the visitation protocols in preparation for the surge of visitors to the San Juan City Cemetery. The city government is expecting over 10,000 visitors to the cemetery as All Souls' Day draws near.
"Palalawigin ang oras ng pagbisita sa sementeryo at hindi na rin titingnan ang vaccination cards. Ngunit kapag umabot na sa 50 percent ang kapasidad ng tao ay ipapatupad na ang mandatory na pagsusuot ng face masks. Ang mga pulis, miyembro ng Public Order and Safety Office at mga personnel ng sementeryo ay magbabantay para mapanatili ang mga tamang protocols (The visitation hours at the cemetery have been extended and we will no longer check for vaccination cards. However, once the number of visitors reach the 50 percent capacity of the cemetery, we will enforce the mandatory wearing of face masks. The police, members of the Public Order and Safety Office, and cemetery personnel will continuously monitor the situation on the ground to ensure the strict observance of the proper safety protocols)," Zamora said.
Since the start of the pandemic, the city government implemented the online booking for appointments to the cemetery to make sure that safety protocols were being observed especially after the national government warned that it could be a super-spreader event.
It also prohibited any Halloween activity to prevent the transmission of the virus.
"Sa ngayon, we are open para sa mga gustong dumalaw at maglinis. Pwede po kayong maglinis at magdala ng mga cleaning materials, but come Oct. 29 hanggang Nov. 2, ipagbabawal na po ang pagdadala ng mga cleaning materials at mga matutulis na bagay (As of now, we are still open for all those who want to visit and clean the tombs of their loved ones. You may clean and bring your cleaning materials, but come Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, we will then prohibit the bringing of cleaning materials and other sharp objects)," San Juan City Cemetery OIC Gilbert Labradores said.
Zamora urged the public to follow the Covid-19 safety protocols despite the easing of some restrictions such as the mandatory wearing of face masks in outdoor settings and limiting the capacity of some establishments.
He also urged them to get vaccinated against the virus.