Santo Niño de Tondo Parish to be closed during Feast of Sto. Niño

The Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño in Tondo, Manila on Wednesday announced its temporary closure following the increase of COVID-19 infections ahead of the Feast of Sto. Niño this month.

The church said it will be closed on January 15 and 16 to curb the spread of COVID-19 transmission among the devotees.

“Ang hakbang na ito ay upang maiwasan ang pagdagsa ng mga deboto na manganganib sa pagkahawa sa COVID-19,” the church said in an advisory.

(This is to prevent the influx of devotees who may possibly be at risk of COVID-19 infections.)

“Ipagdiwang natin ng Kapistahan ng Mahal na Poong Santo Niño sa isang ligtas at mapayapang paraan sa ating mga tahanan at lugar,” it added.

(Let us celebrate the Feast of Santo Niño in a safe and peaceful setting in our homes and places.)

The parish, however, assured devotees that masses would be livestreamed on its Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM) earlier reported that some parishes have temporarily closed after some priests and staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) placed the National Capital Region (NCR) under Alert Level 3 from January 3 to 15, 2022, following the sharp increase in new COVID-19 cases.

The country on Wednesday recorded 10,775 more coronavirus disease infections, increasing the Philippines' total tally to 2,871,745. — Richa Noriega/BM, GMA News