Devotees observe social aloofness to attend mass on January 9 on a road near Manila’s Quiapo Church.
Photographer: Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty Images
Tens of thousands of people ignored the government’s advice and flocked to the Philippine capital of Manila on Saturday to celebrate the festival of the Black Nazarene, a statue believed to have healing powers.
An estimated 400,000 people have visited the city’s Quiapo district since 4 a.m. local time, Lt Col Carlo Magno Manuel, spokesman for the Manila Police District, told reporters. Due to restrictions due to the coronavirus, only 400 visitors were allowed to enter the church where the statue stands.
More than a million people have participated in the annual pilgrimage in recent years. On Saturday, most people seem to have heeded the advice of authorities and health experts, who urged devotees to stay home and attend mass online.
Authorities were quick to disperse the crowd of early morning visitors and ensure strict implementation of physical distance, the health ministry said in a statement.
The Philippines has the second highest number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia, with more than 485,000 on Jan. 9.
The Feast of the Black Nazarene is one of the country’s greatest annual security challenges as the faithful flock to the capital from Asia’s most Catholic country troop.
(Updates the figure in the second paragraph, adds the health department statement to the fourth.)