Church Spokesman Says: No ban on close contact in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - With a few cases of the Influenza A H1N1 virus in the Philippines, precautions are being taken in many areas including the places of worship, but the policy in one area does not also follow for the others.

This as Msgr. Achilles Dakay, spokesman of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said that the move of the Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales need not be followed here.

Rosales has ordered parish priests to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus by disallowing close contact among the faithful in church.

Dakay said that they do not understand why Manila has issued such an order as there are no reports yet of sustained community transmission.

In Manila, the ban includes the change in communion practice where the host will only be received by hand by the faithful and is not anymore put inside the mouth.

Dakay said that the practice of receiving it by hand or directly through mouth should be an option to the faithful.

The Archbishop of Manila also discouraged the holding of hands inside churches, which is usually done when praying the Our Father.

This order was prompted by the reports on increasing number of confirmed cases of H1N1 in the country which has increased to 33 by the time the order was released.

Rosales believes that the number of confirmed cases is increasing fast each day causing alarm to the church which is a public gathering place.

Earlier, the Archdiocese of Cebu has urged Cebuanos to pray for the medical personnel who are tasked to help prevent the spread of the virus.

The church fears that if the virus spreads, the same thing that happened in Mexico where masses and church services were cancelled may happen also in the country particularly in Region 7, which has so far four reported confirmed cases of H1N1.

Hand Sanitizers

Heeding the reminder of the Department of Health to take extra precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus, not only schools are practicing the washing of the hands, but also employees of offices.

Like some big companies in Manila earlier reported that they are doing their part in checking the health of their employees like daily monitoring their temperature and having hand sanitizers in the entrance of their offices, firms here in Cebu are also doing their share.

Employees working in the Commission on Higher Education for example are making an extra effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

Their group, called the CHEDEA or CHED Employees Association, provides hand sanitizers for all employees.

Elmer de Ocampo, president of CHEDEA said that this may be a small effort but this is their way in helping stop the spread of the virus especially among their employees.

De Ocampo said that they have 24 members and each was given two sanitizers each.

He said that this was not ordered by the office and was an initiative that they took.

De Ocampo said that since water and soap are not always available, hand sanitizers would help them clean up anywhere they go.

Other offices are said to be also doing the same and the Department of Health is commending their initiative and is also asking others to follow their example. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja with AJ de la Torre/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)