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HEALTH-VIRUS-CHRISTMAS
World readies for lockdown Christmas
VATICAN CITY, Dec 25, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Coronavirus misery hung over
Christmas preparations worldwide on Thursday, with countless millions forced
to cancel plans or limit festivities under fresh virus lockdowns.
After a grinding pandemic year that has seen more than 1.7 million people
die from Covid-19, a slew of new outbreaks are a stark reminder that despite
emergency vaccine rollouts, life is unlikely to return to normal quickly.
Pope Francis, spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics across the globe,
celebrated Christmas Eve mass in St Peter’s Basilica before fewer than 200
masked faithful, mostly employees of the tiny state of Vatican City.
The mass, traditionally held at midnight, had been moved forward by two
hours to 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) to meet Italy’s curfew rules.
Before the pandemic hit, several thousand believers and tourists had
obtained precious tickets to attend the papal mass.
On Thursday evening, St Peter’s Square, usually thronged with people on
Christmas Eve was deserted, illuminated by the glow of its towering Christmas
tree and the lights of a police patrol car.
Tough new coronavirus restrictions were imposed on Thursday over the
Christmas and New Year period across Italy, the country hardest hit by the
virus in Europe, with nearly 71,000 deaths and more than two million cases
since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Christmas Eve mass commemorates in the Christian tradition the birth of
Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem.
In his homily, the Argentinean pope stressed that the birth of a child
reminds us not to spend our days “lamenting our lots, but soothing the tears
of those who suffer”, serving “the poor”.
Francis, who just celebrated his 84th birthday, will address his eighth
Christmas message “Urbi et orbi” (“to the city and the world”) Friday by
video from the apostolic palace, to prevent a crowd from gathering in St
Peter’s Square.
In Christmas Eve messages earlier Thursday, the Pope expressed his desire
to visit crisis-hit Lebanon and urged political leaders in South Sudan to
continue working for peace.
– Thin crowds in Bethlehem –
Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, was preparing for a
Christmas unlike any in its recent history.
The Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity is traditionally the
highlight of a holiday season that sees hundreds of thousands of visitors
flock to the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank.
The mass will be closed to the public this year and broadcast online, with
only clergy and select individuals allowed inside the basilica, which was
sterilised earlier Thursday ahead of the service.
A procession of bagpipers and drummers marched towards Manger Square,
watched by a mostly-masked Palestinian crowd that lined the streets under
grey skies and a smattering of rain.
“Despite the fear, the frustration of Covid, we will overcome because Jesus
is born in Bethlehem,” said the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista
Pizzaballa, during the procession.
Attendee Jania Shaheen, who was with her two small children and husband in
the square, said the holiday was “different this year, because we can’t pray
at the Nativity Church”.
“We can’t gather as a family, everybody is afraid… It is good to see some
people here today but there is no one compared to last year. It is only for
the people of Bethlehem,” she told AFP.
In war-ravaged northeast Syria, hundreds of residents of a predominantly
Christian neighbourhood in the town of Qamishli ditched face masks and donned
Santa hats, throwing caution to the wind to celebrate the holiday at a
Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
“We were concerned celebrations would be cancelled this year due to the
novel coronavirus, but as you can see everyone is here celebrating and we are
happy,” said Maria Danhou, a 36-year-old mother of two.
– Holiday isolation –
Germany has been forced to cancel its famous Christmas markets, while in
Kuwait, churches were closed until January 10 despite being home to a large
Christian community.
For many, the isolation that has defined the past year will continue into
Christmas Day and beyond — such as in Belgium, where residents are largely
limited to welcoming a single visitor.
In the Catholic-majority Philippines, some are choosing to spend the
holidays alone because of the risk of catching the virus on public transport,
as well as quarantine rules making travelling time-consuming and expensive.
“I am ordering food in, re-watching old movies, and catching up with my
family by video,” said Kim Patria, 31, who lives alone in Manila.
Britons, meanwhile, were cut off from swathes of the world, due to the
emergence of a new Covid-19 strain.
Some UK border restrictions have been temporarily relaxed for the holidays,
but thousands from other European countries are still stranded in England.
“Home for Christmas? Forget it,” said Laurent Beghin, a French truck driver
who delivered his cargo but was still stuck days later.
In the United States, more than one million people have now been
vaccinated, but the country’s coronavirus response remained chaotic as Donald
Trump helicoptered off the White House lawn for one of the last times in his
presidency.
The Republican and his wife Melania were bound for a vacation at his glitzy
Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, after his shock rejection of a massive
coronavirus relief package passed by Congress.
New Year’s celebrations are looking downbeat globally, with lockdowns
looming for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Austria through the post-Christmas
period, while Portugal has imposed a New Year’s Eve curfew.
For now, Sydney still plans to ring in 2021 with its famous Harbour Bridge
fireworks display, with New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian
pledging the seven-minute spectacle will go ahead “no matter what”.
But as with most of 2020, people are being encouraged to watch on
television from their sofas.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0936 hrs