ON HIS 70th birthday, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma was not thinking of his own good but that of his flock in the time of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Palma celebrated Mass in private in a chapel with a handful of priests and staff members inside the archbishop’s compound on D. Jakosalem St. in Cebu City on Thursday morning, March 19, 2020, a day after the Department of Health announced Cebu’s first Covid-19 patient.
During the Mass, the attendees were standing far from each other, heeding the government’s advice to observe social or physical distancing, one of the ways that prevent the spread of the virus.
The Associated Press reported that “experts believe the virus is mainly spread through droplets that come out of your mouth and nose. When an infected person speaks or exhales or coughs or sneezes, the droplets travel about 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) before gravity pulls them to the ground.”
Some faithful watched the Mass outside through the chapel’s closed glass windows.
In an interview after the Mass, the prelate said his birthday wish was for the faithful to cooperate with the government-imposed quarantine to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, a virus that originated in Wuhan, China.
Also on Thursday, the Chinese government reported no new local infections for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak began three months ago. However, Covid-19 cases and the death toll continued to rise in other parts of the globe, including the Philippines.
Palma said the confirmed cases in the country proved that Covid-19 is a serious disease. He asked the faithful for understanding on the archdiocese’s decision to suspend all public Masses and other religious activities indefinitely starting Wednesday, March 18. Holy Week activities in Cebu will also not push through.
Palma said the archdiocese’s decision was “based on data,” the fact that the viral respiratory illness had killed thousands around the world. (JCT)