The Manila Police District (MPD) has deployed around 2,000 personnel at various checkpoints leading to Quiapo Church to ensure that no devotees of the Black Nazarene gather despite the cancellation of Traslacion 2022.
For the second year in a row, there will be no Traslacion the traditional procession of the Black Nazarene. And for the first time ever, even limited in-person attendance is not allowed at the mass celebrating the Feast of the Nazareno today.
The Manila City government announced Wednesday that there will be no physical masses for the upcoming Feast of the Black Nazarene amid the threat of the Omicron variant and the dramatic spike in new coronavirus infections.
President Rodrigo Duterte has urged the Catholic Church to cancel religious events that can become super spreaders of COVID-19, including the annual Black Nazarene procession, as the Philippines contends with a fresh spike in infections.