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DTI appeals to churches: Support fresh ban on religious gatherings amid COVID-19 surge
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is urging religious groups to back the temporary prohibition of religious gatherings in Metro Manila and nearby provinces due to a significant rise in COVID-19 cases.
DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo emphasized that the two-week ban, encompassing Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, was enacted for the collective well-being.
Castelo expressed belief that religious organizations, as proponents of general welfare, would support this measure.
Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines had previously voiced disappointment, citing a perceived double standard as churches were closed while gyms and spas remained open.
In response, Castelo differentiated churches from fitness centers, highlighting the increased risk of viral transmission through activities like singing in enclosed church spaces compared to the distanced activities in gyms.
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Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, also the vice president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), criticized the government's decision to ban religious gatherings while allowing gyms and spas to operate at limited capacities in NCR Plus.
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The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) has described the Inter-Agency Task Force's (IATF) ban on religious gatherings in the "NCR Plus" bubble as "grossly unfair" and implemented without prior consultation.
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Religious gatherings will be banned anew in Metro Manila and four adjacent provinces from March 22 to April 4, 2021, as the national government implements stricter measures to curb the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
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Malacañang threatened to order the closure of Catholic churches that will defy the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) directive banning religious gatherings within the NCR Plus bubble from March 22 to April 4.
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The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved once-a-day religious gatherings at 10 percent venue capacity from April 1 to April 4.
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