CEBU CITY (UPDATED) -- Organizers of the annual Sinulog Festival said Thursday all non-religious physical activities of the event, such as the street dancing, have been cancelled due to the continued threat of COVID-19.

In a press conference, Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama, who heads the organizing committee, said all activities related to the Sinulog would be recorded and aired on television on January 17.

"There will be no street dancing parade, no grand ritual showdown. Everything will be recorded and broadcast as live on January 17," he said.

Dance performances will be shot by production teams and the entire program will be edited as one show, which will be aired on local TV stations and streamed online, Rama said.

"No need to go out of your homes to witness it," he said.

Rama noted that some areas would allow public viewing of the festival but with strict compliance to health protocols.

The decision comes a day after a group of doctors in Cebu issued a statement, opposing the conduct of the Sinulog this year as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on.

The Sinulog Festival is held every third Sunday of January in celebration of the Feast of the Sto. Niño.

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