By Fernan Angeles
IT’S official! cemeteries in the National Capital Region will be closed on Undas.
Mayors from Metro Manila’s 16 highly-urbanized cities and the lone municipality of Pateros have agreed to close cemeteries for the traditional visit to the dead on November 1 and 2.
Citing risks of spread of coronavirus disease, the Metro Manila Council underscored the need to impose a “holiday” on two official non-working regular holidays, aptly referred to as All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
As such, commemoration of the dead will have to be done at home – perhaps by lighting up candles outside their houses.
The closure of cemeteries is a first in a predominantly Catholic country embarking on a tradition to visit, pray and pay respect to a loved one who had passed away. There won’t be family reunions at the cemeteries either.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Jojo Garcia, who earlier hinted at its possibility, has confirmed that Metro Manila local chief executives have unanimously agreed to implement the plan.
Garcia said that the decision is primarily aimed to “avoid mass gathering and transmission of the virus.”