Sta. Rosa de Lima Parish Church in Daanbantayan, Cebu | Wikicommons File
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Starting Thursday, August 26, there will be no physical novena Masses in Daanbantayan’s churches.
This after the local government there decided to impose restrictions for their upcoming fiesta this Monday, August 30.
“Nasabutan sa IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force of Daanbantayan) nga suspendido alang sa publiko ang physical nga novena ug misa karong Agosto 26 hangtod sa adlaw sa kapistahan ni Sta. Rosa de Lima sa Agosto 30,” the municipality announced on social media.
As a result, they urged residents there to watch and participate through the novena Masses’ live stream events.
Devotees are also allowed to light candles right outside the church premises from August 29 to August 30, they added.
Municipal and barangay officials in Daanbantayan, a first-class municipality located at the northernmost tip of Cebu island, conducted an emergency meeting on Tuesday, August 24 on the COVID situation there.
Among the concerns raised during the meeting, the post said, was the upcoming fiesta.
Daanbantayan’s patron saint is St. Rose of Lima (Santa Rosa de Lima in Spanish and Cebuano) whose feast falls every August 30. The town’s parish church is also named after the Peruvian saint.
Aside from suspending physical novena Masses, the municipality is also eyeing to reimplement ‘quarantine control points’ in each barangay.
“Buhaton kini aron makontrolar ang lihok sa mga taw ilabi na kon way hinungdan ug lag-laag ra ang tumong,” they said.
“Basi sa datos sa DOH ang mga nag-unang hinungdan sa pagtakod sa virus mao ang pagduaw sa mga balay sa paryente ug amigo, pundok-pundok sama sa inom ug hikay. Iduso pa ang maong kasabotan ngadto sa buhatan sa gobernor aron sa pag-aprobar,” they added.
Most parts of Cebu province, including Daanbantayan, remained under ‘General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions’ until August 31.
As of August 24, the town reported a total of 121 active cases of COVID-19. /rcg
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