Malacañang said on Tuesday that religious gatherings attended by over 10 individuals are still not allowed in places under general community quarantine and modified community quarantine.

In a virtual press briefing, presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that under the guidelines previously released by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, only up to 10 persons could get together for religious activities in areas under GCQ.

He said that in the IATF meeting on Monday, the issue was part of the agenda.

"And there was a decision that mass gathering for religious purposes won't be allowed yet," he said.

Roque said he was not sure when huge religious gatherings would be allowed.

He said the IATF's decision would be based on coronavirus case doubling rate and the local government units' preparedness for critical care.

Religious groups, including the Catholic Church, have been urging the government to allow religious gatherings as they vowed to implement minimum health standards to ensure that COVID-19 would not spread among their members. Celerina Monte/DMS