No vax, no entry in Caloocan cemeteries

MANILA, Philippines — To prevent the transmission of COVID-19 during the observance of Undas or the Filipino tradition of visiting the dead, the Caloocan government will enforce a “no vaccine, no entry” policy in the city’s cemeteries.

Cemetery-goers must present their COVID vaccination cards showing they have been fully inoculated, according to the local government.

City health office acting chief Evelyn Cuevas said visitors with body temperatures higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius would be given 10 minutes of rest before getting checked again “in consideration of the weather conditions.”

Cuevas said those with body temperatures higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius would no longer be allowed entry to the cemetery.

Cemeteries in Caloocan will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Nov. 1 to 2.

In the past two years, the government shut down cemeteries during Undas to prevent mass gatherings and the transmission of COVID-19.

Public cemeteries in Caloocan will implement a “one entrance, one exit” policy as well as other COVID protocols such as wearing of face masks and physical distancing, the city government said.

Local officials called on residents to get vaccinated to sustain the downward trend in COVID-19 cases in the city.