The 24-hour liquor ban is not dead.
At least in cemeteries and funeral parlors.
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has ordered cemeteries and funeral parlors to implement 24-hour liquor ban until the declaration of the State of Calamity (Proclamation 1021) is lifted.
President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the State of Calamity status recently by signing Proclamation 1021 on September 16, 2020 or the declaration of a state of calamity throughout the Philippines for one more year or from Sept. 13, 2020 to Sept. 12, 2021, due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The 24-hour liquor ban is stipulated in Section 5 of the Executive Order (EO) No. 52 Series of 2020 released on Thursday that regulates the operations of funeral parlors, cemeteries, memorial parks and columbariums effective September 23, 2020 throughout the duration of the State of Calamity.
The EO highlighted the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution No. 72, which notes that on October 29, 2020 to November 4, 2020, all private and public cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbariums shall be closed the entire day to the general public; and that on September 17, 2020 to November 15, 2020, the number of visitors must be limited to a maximum occupancy of 30 percent of the entire area of the cemetery, memorial parks, or columbarium.
However, groups who will bury their family member and who will celebrate the birthday or death anniversary of the deceased that fall on October 29 to November 4 are exempted from the prohibition but has to follow the limited number of visitors and the allowed maximum percentage of occupancy in the area.
Mayor Sara also ordered that only family members shall be allowed to attend a wake at home, in funeral parlor or any other place. The family in charge of the wake and the funeral parlor/venue management must ensure that there is no mass gathering among the family members. This rule applies for all faith-based groups.
She also ordered that during burial, only family members shall be allowed to attend also and that the family in charge of the burial and the cemetery management must ensure that there is mass gathering among the family members. The same rule applies for those who are to be buried according to the Muslim faith and other faith-based groups.
The mayor reminded that in these events, face masks, distancing of at least one meter and alcohol must be required of the visiting family members.
The order also tasked the family in charge of the wake and the burial to keep a record of the date and time of the visit of all the family members for contact tracing in case some of the members get sick.
The Section 4 of the EO orders family members not to occupy more than 50 percent of the room where the casket is located to avoid mass gathering. Physical distancing must be observed in all areas of the residential house, funeral home and other wake venues.
The vulnerable sector or those who are above 60 years old, below 21 years old, immunocompromised, with health risk, pregnant women are allowed to visit the cemetery, memorial park of columbarium where their family members are buried, however, they are prohibited from attending the wake, burial and visiting the cemeteries, memorial park and columbarium burial sites of non-relatives.
