Parañaque, Taguig issue rules for early cemetery-goers

MANILA, Philippines — The city government of Parañaque has issued guidelines for early visitors in cemeterties amid the closure of memorial parks and columbariums nationwide during Undas as a precaution against COVID-19.

Metro Manila mayors have agreed to close cemeteries from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4 to contain the spread of COVID-19.

In an order issued on Saturday, Mayor Edwin Olivarez said cemetery visits in Parañaque would be allowed from Oct. 1 to 28 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Entry passes will be given per visitor. A maximum of 1,000 passes will be issued daily to control the crowds and prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

Only two persons will be allowed to visit their dead buried in garden or lawn-type graveyards. Mausoleum visits are limited to five persons only.

Olivarez said visitors would be allowed to stay in cemeteries for a maximum of 30 minutes.

In Taguig, cemeteries, memorial parks and columbariums will be opened beginning Oct. 1 to allow the people to visit their dead.

In an advisory, the Taguig Safe City Task Force said residents could visit their dead whose surnames start from A to M from 6 to 11 a.m. and those from N to Z between 1 and 6 p.m. to prevent overcrowding.

Visitors should not be more than 10 people and will be allowed inside the burial ground for two hours only to prevent overcrowding.

They should only light candles and offer flowers at the tombs – far from the typical setup where families would bring food to share.

The task force allowed the entry of children and senior citizens in cemeteries. Pregnant women and those with health issues are discouraged to visit their dead.

Memorial parks should accommodate only 30 percent of crowd capacity.

Cemetery-goers were advised to fill out health declaration forms before visiting cemeteries.