The city government of Cebu is set to adjust the curfew hours to pave the way for the dawn masses or Misa de Gallo, Mayor Edgardo Labella said on Wednesday.

“We will definitely adjust the hours covered under our curfew ordinance and in the curfew hours imposed by the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases), more or less from 11 o’clock in the evening up to 3 o’clock (the following) dawn,” Labella said in a radio interview.

He also said the city will no longer require churchgoers to bring quarantine passes in attending the dawn masses up to the Christmas vespers eucharistic celebration.

The mayor said the most important thing to consider is the strict observance of the minimum health standards in the churches during the holy masses.

He said the city also welcomes the idea of holding an anticipated Misa de Gallo mass in the evening, so that Roman Catholic faithful who will attend the celebration will be spread out in two to three schedules.

The Archdiocese of Cebu may also consider having two dawn masses each day, an arrangement which, Labella said, will ensure observance of 50 percent-limit of the number of attendees in every church per celebration to prevent spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Misa de Gallo starts every Dec. 16 and is celebrated for nine straight days before Christmas, traditionally attended by many Catholic Church members.

Labella said he will meet with the officials of the Archdiocese of Cebu before issuing an executive order outlining the policy of the city in the conduct of dawn masses.

Meanwhile, the mayor of this capital city also said the policy on strict border control concerning arrivals of people from other provinces outside Cebu has now been relaxed.

“Other provinces are strict in their protocols. So from there, we can see no more reason to be strict with our borders,” he said. (PNA)