The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has ordered a week-long closure for visitors of all private and public cemeteries, memorial parks and columbariums in the country in time for the All Saints' and All Souls' days to prevent mass gatherings.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the IATF made the decision during its meeting on Thursday, September 17.

"All private and public cemeteries, and memorial parks, including columbariums and the like throughout the country shall be closed to visitors from October 29 to November 4, 2020," IATF Resolution No. 72 read.

On other days, the number of visitors in these places shall also be limited to a maximum 30 percent of the venue capacity, with the wearing of face masks and face shields, and the observance of social distancing.

The resolution said that the omnibus guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine shall continue to govern burial and cremation activities from October 29 to November 4.

Roque said the rationale for closing temporarily cemeteries and the like is to prevent mass gatherings.

In the same resolution, the IATF also approved the recommendation of the Department of Health Technical Advisory Group, in coordination with the Department of Tourism and the Department of Interior and Local Government, and with the assistance of the World Health Organization, to commence pilot studies on the use of Rapid Antigen Tests for border screening and serial testing in high-risk to low-risk interzonal travel considering cross-border differences in quarantine status and the prevalence level of transmission, as well as for specialized programs of the DOT.

According to Testing Czar Vivencio Dizon, the results using the antigen tests are much faster than the RT-PCR. Celerina Monte/DMS