By Leslie Ann Aquino and Andrea Aro After nearly three months, the public celebration of masses finally resumed at the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church) in Manila, on Friday, June 5. Only 10 devotees were allowed to enter per mass in Quiapo Church, June 2, 2020. (Quiapo Church / Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) The number of people allowed to attend the mass, however, was limited to 10 in keeping with the rules of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). "Every time there is a mass, we allow 10 people only," Father Douglas Badong, parochial vicar of Quiapo Church said. If there is no mass, he said, they will allow people who want to pray to go inside the church but by batches. "Those who want to pray, we will allow them to go inside the church but batch by batch," said Fr. Badong. The IATF-EID earlier allowed religious gatherings but it limited the attendees to a maximum of 10 in the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) areas and 50 percent capacity in Modified GCQ areas. It was last March when a number of dioceses suspended the public celebration of masses after the government imposed the enhanced community quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Priests celebrated Mass in private and made available to the faithful via livestreaming or television and radio. Aside from limiting the number of people during mass, Quiapo Church also followed the different guidelines laid out by the Archdiocese of Manila to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus such as the wearing of face masks, temperature check, placing of footbath containers, and hand sanitizers among others. When asked how the faithful responded to the new protocols, Fr. Badong said: "The devotees were cooperative. They lined up and did not complain about the procedures." Quiapo Church houses the image of the Black Nazarene, a life-sized, dark-colored, wooden sculpture of Jesus Christ that was brought to Manila by Augustinian priests in 1607. Known to be miraculous by its Filipino devotees, its annual procession every January is attended by millions, making it one of the country’s biggest annual religious processions. "Nagpapasok kami ng magsisimba tuwing mayroong misa pero limitado lang talaga sa sampu gaya ng sinabi ng IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force)," Fr. Danichi Hui, Minor Basilica's parochial vicar said in a report from GMA News. (We're allowing churchgoers to enter when there is a mass but it is limited to 10 only just like what the IATF said.) There are markings on seats inside the church which will serve as guidelines for the churchgoers to properly observe social distancing. Churchgoers must pass through the misting tent at the entrance of the church before entering and have their body temperature checked by personnel wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) suits. The communion distributors are also required to wear PPE suits. The Quiapo Church has five masses scheduled at 5 a.m., 6 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. The devotees are also encouraged to attend mass online.