Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Friday the government’s COVID-19 task force had given permission to raise the seating capacity for religious gatherings to 30 percent in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces.
Guevarra, a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said the new policy, which would also apply in other areas under general community quarantine apart from the NCR Plus, was approved following churches' request.
This will be implemented until May 31.
“This applies to all religious faiths, sects, and denominations,” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.
Earlier, the government imposed a 10 percent venue capacity limit for religious gatherings to curb the spread of the virus.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier placed Metro Manila and nearby provinces Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna — collectively known as the NCR Plus — under GCQ with heightened restrictions from May 15 to May 31.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said NCR mayors who compose the Metro Manila Council have allowed the 30 percent seating capacity in all places of worship.
Under the new guidelines, only citizens aged 18 years old to 65 years old are allowed to attend religious gatherings.
Manila’s parishes will also increase the number of Masses each day to allow more people to attend church services.
Meanwhile, the IATF-EID has allowed the National Food Authority to hold the meeting of the Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR).
This, after the IATF-EID considered the NFA’s ninth meeting of APTERR as an essential gathering, Roque said in a press statement.
Under IATF-EID Resolution 116 approved Thursday, the NFA’s APTERR meeting is exempt from the prohibition on meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibition venues.
“NFA’s choice of a specific MICE venue shall be subject to applicable laws and rules,” the resolution read.
APTERR is a regional cooperation mechanism involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member-countries plus South Korea, Japan, and China.
It aims to strengthen food security, alleviate poverty, eradicate malnourishment, and provide emergency rice assistance to victims of natural calamities in Asean countries.