Police commanders nationwide have been ordered to coordinate early with local government units (LGUs) in the crafting of protocols for the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

Joint Task Force Covid Shield commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said early preparations are necessary to give LGUs enough time to map out plans for Undas especially in big public cemeteries at this time of the pandemic.

“(But) this should be done in a way that will not compromise the health safety of our kababayan. That is why early preparation is necessary in order to give the LGUs, the local police, and other concerned agencies an ample time to come up with the best plan that will serve as a middle ground between the effort of the government to protect the people from infection and respecting our Undas tradition,” Eleazar said in a statement on Monday.

Some LGUs have ordered the closure of all cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaries as early as Oct. 31 until Nov. 3 to ensure that people would not flock in these areas.

Coming up with Undas protocols would also prepare the public to plan the visit to their departed loved ones and eventually avoid large gatherings in public and private cemeteries, Eleazar said.

“On the part of the JTF Covid Shield, in coordination with the PNP and the LGUs, we assure that the minimum health safety standard protocol will be observed for the safety of our kababayan,” he said.

Earlier, the Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, also vice-chair of the National Task Force against Covid-19, supported the move of some LGUs to temporarily close cemeteries and advised the public to observe the occasion in other ways. (PNA)