More people can now attend mass as the mayors of Metro Manila have allowed up to 30% venue capacity for religious gatherings as long as health protocols like social distancing and wearing of face masks and face shields are followed.

This is in line with the announcement of President Duterte to place Metro Manila and surrounding Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal provinces (otherwise known as NCR Plus) under general community quarantine (GCQ) “with heightened restrictions” until May 31.

The decision of the Metro Manila mayors was discussed during the meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) last Thursday. However, local government units will still have the final judgment whether to allow an increase in venue capacity.

“The IATF earlier allowed religious gatherings up to 10% of the venue capacity under the General Community Quarantine with heightened restrictions. Local government units, however, are given the discretion to increase the venue capacity of religious gatherings as long as these would not exceed the 30% allowable venue capacity,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

The loosened quarantine restrictions come as COVID-19 cases continue to decline daily. Yet, the numbers are still high compared to pre-surge levels of around 2,000 cases reported per day. At present, the country’s COVID-19 cases are estimated at 5,000 every day.

The Philippines has currently reported 1.16 million infections, which includes 51,912 active cases and 19,641 deaths