Cebu City to wait for IATF’S decision on Misa De Gallo

Church-goers surround the National Shrine of St. Joseph during the first day of the traditional celebration of the dawn mass leading towards Christmas Day 2018. (CDN Photo/ Brian J. Ochoa)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government will be leaving it up to officials from the national government to decide on the fate of Misa De Gallo (dawn Mass) here.

Mayor Edgardo Labella, on Monday, November 23, announced that they would wait for the official announcement and guidelines from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) for the conduct of the Misa de Gallo.

“We will wait for the pronouncement of the IATF. We don’t want to preempt because it will be subject to the pronouncement of the IATF,” said Labella in a press conference.

However, he said that they had been in constant communication with officials of the national government’s anti-coronavirus task force.

“They told us to wait for a few more days on the announcement about the Misa De Gallo. Once they will release, we will make the necessary actions and measures,” Labella said.

Misa De Gallo is a religious practice among Catholics wherein devotees attend dawn Masses on the days leading to the midnight Mass on the eve of Christmas, December 24.

These events, however, are usually marked by an influx of people going to Churches to attend the Masses, which could pose health risks as gatherings are pointed to as one of the major drivers in the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19.

Cebu City has been placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), the most relaxed form of community quarantine, since September, and is expected to last until November 30, 2020. /dbs

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