Devotees observe social distancing to attend Mass on a road near Quiapo Church in Manila on January 9th.
Photographer: Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty Images
Tens of thousands of people ignored government advice and flocked to the Philippine capital, Manila, on Saturday to celebrate the feast of the Black Nazarene, a statue believed to have healing powers.
An estimated 400,000 people have passed through the Quiapo district in the city since 4 a.m. local time, Lieutenant Colonel Carlo Magno Manuel, a spokesman for the Manila police district, told lieutenants. Due to coronavirus restrictions, only 400 visitors were allowed at a time inside the church where the statue is located.
More than a million people have taken part in the annual pilgrimage in recent years. On Saturday, most people appear to have heeded the advice of authorities and health experts, who urged devotees to stay home and attend online masses.
Authorities rushed to disperse the crowd of visitors early in the morning and ensured strict implementation of the physical distancing, the Health Department said in a statement.
The Philippines has the second-highest number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia, with more than 485,000 as of Jan. 9.
The celebration of the Black Nazarene is one of the biggest annual security challenges in the country, as the faithful of the troops of the most Catholic Asian country in the capital.
(Update the figure in the second paragraph and add the health department statement to the fourth.)