Despite the threat posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), devotees still thronged the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral in Iloilo City on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Jeck Conlu, City COVID-19 Team spokesperson, said from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. they have estimated that more than 4,000 devotees attended Masses for the Feast of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of Candles).
Law enforcers were deployed to ensure that physical distancing and other health standards were followed by the Catholic faithful.
But Conlu admitted that they had a difficulty in managing the attendees.
The Marian image of Nuesta Señora de la Candelaria at the façade of the Cathedral is deemed miraculous by many Catholics.
Encased in glass, the 400-year-old image was crowned by Pope John Paul II during a papal visit in 1981.
On the eve of the Candelaria feast, Mayor Jerry Treñas issued an executive order providing guidelines in the conduct of gatherings in the city.
“Beginning February 1, 2021 until February 8, 2021, the holding of or participating in any party or gathering for whatever purpose held either private and/or public venues shall only be allowed insofar as the attendees thereto are members of the dame family living in the same household,” the EO stated.
“Private and public establishments are hereby mandated to strictly implement age-based restrictions by disallowing entry if any individual aged sixty-five years old or those below fifteen years old, except in limited circumstances provided under Section 4 of Executive Order No. 001, series of 2021,” it further stated.
Treñas said the current spike in COVID-19 cases in the city necessitates stricter measures.
Based on the Feb. 2 bulletin issued by the Department of Health (DOH-6), the city has 4,797 confirmed cases of the disease, including 4,609 recoveries and 155 deaths.
The city’s active cases currently stand at 266.IMT
Photo by Arnold Almacen
