Adherents notice the social distancing to attend the meal on a road near the 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 gathered in 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 passed through the city’s Quiapo district at 4 a.m. local time, lieutenant colonel Carlo Magno Manuel, a spokesman for the Manila police district, told reporters. Due to coronavirus restrictions, only 400 visitors at a time were allowed 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 seem to have heeded the advice of authorities and health experts, who urged followers to stay home and attend the meal online.
Authorities rushed to disperse the crowd early in the morning and ensure strict implementation of the physical distance, the Health Department said in a statement.
The Philippines has the second largest number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia, with more than 485,000 people since January 9.
The feast of the Black Nazarene is one of the biggest annual security challenges in the country, as believers of the most Catholic band in Asia in the capital.
(Update the figure in the second paragraph, add the statement of the health department in the fourth.)