The coronavirus pandemic has clouded Christmas celebrations around the world, with South Korea reporting record daily cases, the pope holding a reduced mass on Christmas Eve and China halting flight arrivals to the UK indefinitely.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China decided to follow the example of dozens of countries that introduced bans after the emergence of a new variant of the virus, apparently more transmissible. There are currently eight weekly flights between mainland China and Britain, including two from British Airways.
Thursday afternoon, Hong Kong announced it has extended the hotel’s mandatory quarantine from 14 to 21 days for all arrivals abroad, after announcing it for arrivals in the UK earlier this week. Some UK travelers discovered the new measures only after their arrival, RTHK reported.
The government has also banned anyone who has been in South Africa for more than two hours in the past 21 days, amid concerns about a new variant there.
“[The new measures are] necessary to ensure that even if the virus’s incubation period exceeds 14 days in a very rare case, it will not become a fish that will escape the net, ”a government spokesman told the South China Morning Post.
Inside South Korea on Friday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said a record 1,241 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Thursday and urged authorities to respond “strictly” to violations of social detachment rules.
Chung said there are still many places that do not follow the blocking rules, with some restaurants and bars serving guests after 9 pm, despite locking the doors and turning off the signs, Yonhap said.
“The vast majority of the country is adhering faithfully to the government’s anti-virus measures, despite the inconvenience and pain they entail, but if some cheat for their own gains, it is difficult to expect results from participating in anti-virus measures,” he said.
Chung said there was a major outbreak at the Dongbu detention center in eastern Seoul and urged all public officials to adhere to Covid’s rules during Christmas and New Year’s holidays as a last step towards a “source of hope. ”. South Korea recorded more than 53,000 cases and 750 deaths.
Globally, cases now number more than 79 million and deaths more than 1.74 million, with the United States by far the most affected.
Inside ItalyPope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in front of less than 200 masked believers, most of whom were Vatican officials. The mass, traditionally held at midnight, was moved to 7:30 pm to comply with curfew rules in Italy, the hardest hit country in Europe.
In his homily, the Argentine pope pointed out that the birth of a child reminds us not to spend the days “regretting our luck, but calming the tears of those who suffer”, serving the poor.
On Christmas Day, Francis will send his message on video from the apostolic palace, to prevent a crowd from gathering in St. Peter’s Square.
In Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, he was preparing for a Christmas unlike any other in his recent history. The Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of the Nativity is traditionally the highlight of a holiday season that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. But this year the mass will be closed to the public and broadcast online, with permission only for the clergy and selected individuals inside the basilica, which was sterilized on Thursday.
In the war-torn northeast Syria, hundreds of residents of a predominantly Christian neighborhood in the city of Qamishli abandoned their masks and donned Santa hats for a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
Participant Maria Danhou said: “We were concerned about the cancellation of the celebrations this year due to the new coronavirus, but as you can see, everyone is here celebrating and we are happy.”
Germany was forced to cancel its famous Christmas markets, while in Kuwait, churches serving its large Christian community were closed until January 10.
Mostly Catholic Philippines, some are choosing to spend their holidays alone because of the risk of catching the virus on public transport, as well as the quarantine rules that make travel time-consuming and expensive.
“I’m ordering food, going back to watching old movies and talking to my family on video,” said Kim Patria, 31, who lives alone in Manila.
Meanwhile, the British were cut off from parts of the world due to the emergence of a new variant of Covid-19.
Some UK border restrictions have been temporarily relaxed for the holiday, but thousands of other European countries are still trapped in England. “Home for Christmas? Forget it, ”said Laurent Beghin, a French truck driver who delivered his cargo but was still in jail days later.
For now, Sydney in Australia he still plans to play in 2021 with his famous fireworks display on the Harbor Bridge, with New South Wales Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian, promising that the seven-minute show will follow “no matter what.”
However, the prime minister urged the Sydneysiders to avoid the traditional Boxing Day sales rush in the city center. She said: “We know that this is not the easiest message to pass on to these retailers, but we want to discourage people from going to CBD tomorrow. If you go shopping at CBD, be sure to wear a mask. “
With Agence France-Presse, Reuters