CCPO: Only vaxxed persons should attend Misa de Gallo

AS CEBU police are preparing for the Misa de Gallo which will start on Dec. 16, 2021, they plan to suggest to the leaders of the Catholic Church and the city government that only vaccinated persons should be allowed to attend the masses in person.

The upcoming Misa de Gallo still poses a huge challenge for the police and church leaders despite the reported decrease in Covid-19 cases.

Police Lt. Col. Wilbert Parilla, deputy city director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office, said they have been preparing for the proper course of action, especially in providing security and enforcing health standards.

Parilla added that these matters should be discussed so that they can hatch plans to avoid a surge in Covid-19 cases in the city.

“We have to work this problem out together with the City Hall and the church so that we’ll know what rules to implement and how to implement them. We should also take into consideration that only a few churches have gates that can be used as checkpoints through which only vaccinated individuals can pass,” Parilla said.

Another suggestion that the police will bring up during the meeting is to allow only major parishes to hold the Misa de Gallo, just like in 2020, so they will not have a hard time deploying their personnel and force multipliers and they can control the crowd in the churches better.

The police are anticipating people to flock to the churches because of the drop in Covid-19 cases in the city.

However, Parilla clarified that aside from deploying police to churches, the Mobile Patrol Group will also be tasked to patrol the streets from 1 a.m. until the end of the church activity.

The police are encouraging the public to hear masses online instead, especially those who are unvaccinated. (AYB / CCP)