MANILA: A Philippine church that is home to a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ will shut its doors to devotees for three days leading to its annual feast, its priests said on Wednesday, as the daily tally of Covid-19 cases climbed to a three-month high.
The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene would be closed from January 7-9 after the government's Covid-19 task force decided that a proposed plan for the celebration would not be effective in preventing a possible super-spreader event.
"It is sad because we did not expect this," said Father Danichi Hui, one of the basilica’s parochial vicars, adding that the church had been planning for the January 9 feast for the past six months.
Millions usually attend the country’s largest annual procession honouring the Black Nazarene on January 9. During the event the statue is paraded through the streets around the Minor Basilica in the district of Quiapo in Manila City.
The procession has been cancelled for the second year running, with devotees not allowed to enter the church from January 7 to 9 as an extra precaution, Father Douglas Badong, another parochial vicar, told a press conference.
The church usually sees a surge in visitors as activities begin ahead of the main feast day.
"The doors of the church will be shut," Badong said. "There will be no physical Masses. We encourage the devotees to go to Mass online or go to a church near you."
The Philippines’ daily tally of Covid-19 cases has been increasing since after the Christmas break due to increased mobility and gatherings, and possibly due to the Omicron variant, the Department of Health said.
On Wednesday, the daily tally of new Covid-19 cases hit 10,775, a three-month high, bringing the country’s total caseload since the start of the pandemic to more than 2.87 million, the department said.
The death toll was up by 58 to 51,662, it added.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque urged devotees of the Black Nazarene to hold virtual celebrations of the feast instead, adding that even smaller events in other churches and communities could pose a risk.
"We have witnessed this past holiday season how fast, how rapid the rise has been of Covid-19 because of social gatherings," he said. "We would like to remind everyone to be vigilant and continue practising the necessary health protocols."
The Black Nazarene statue is believed to have been brought from Mexico to Manila in 1606 by Spanish missionaries. The ship that carried it caught fire, but the charred statue survived and was named the Black Nazarene.
In a message to devotees, Badong said: "It is unfortunate that we will not be together in the Holy Mass on the day of the feast. But I hope we can strengthen our faith in the Black Nazarene."
"Let’s take to heart the message of our celebration: Why are you afraid? Don’t you have faith?" he said.
Badong said the Minor Basilica will reopen on January 10, and will allow devotees inside the church but only within the limits set by the government, which is at 30 per cent for fully vaccinated individuals. -- dpa
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