From Bethlehem to Frankfurt, London and Boston, the spike in coronavirus cases spoiled Christmas Eve celebrations for the second year in a row, forcing churches to cancel religious services or reduce their capacity, and ruining travel plans and family gatherings. .
Drummers and pipers marched through the streets of Bethlehem before a smaller-than-usual crowd after new travel restrictions implemented in Israel to curb the spread of the contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus prevented tourists from flocking to the town where tradition says that Jesus was born.
In Germany, a line surrounded the huge Cologne Cathedral, but not for the Rooster Mass, but for vaccination. The vaccine offer was an expression of “caring for your neighbor,” consistent with the message of Christmas, the cathedral’s provost, Guido Assmann, told the DPA news agency.
In other parts of the world, people tired of nearly two years of confinement and other restrictions were looking for ways to safely enjoy Christmas rituals.
“We cannot let the virus take our lives when we are healthy,” said Rosalia Lopes, a retired Portuguese government worker who was doing last-minute purchases in the coastal town of Cascais.
She commented that she and her family were fed up with the pandemic and decided to carry out their celebrations, with the help of vaccines and booster doses, home rapid tests and the use of masks in public spaces. He had a traditional Christmas Eve dinner planned with baked cod.
In New York City, where the omicron has spread widely, people waited in long lines to get tested for coronavirus, many doing it as a precaution before traveling to reunite with family.
Brianna Sultan and her 8-year-old daughter Ava spent Friday in one of those long lines waiting to get tested after they learned a case of COVID-19 had been registered at the school.
“It’s a terrible way to be spending Christmas Eve,” Sultan said after waiting more than two hours in line as the temperature dropped in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. “It is terrible that we cannot see our families because this variant of COVID is returning again.”
Holiday travel took a hit after some major airlines canceled hundreds of flights amid an omicron-related staff shortage.
In Britain, where the coronavirus variant is also spreading with great speed, some cult sites hoped to go ahead with their plans.
Meanwhile, in Rome, a Pope Francis without a mask celebrated a Christmas Eve mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the capacity was militated and the faithful had to wear a mask.
The people of Holland tried to enjoy the holiday, despite living one of the strictest confinements in Europe. All non-essential stores were closed, including bars and restaurants, and home visits were limited to two people a day, four at Christmas.
In France, some visited their loved ones in hospital. For their part, Parisians were training in chocolate shops, markets and coronavirus testing centers. The European nation has recorded record numbers of new COVID-19 cases, and hospitalizations have been on the rise, but the government has resisted imposing curfews or closures during the Christmas season.
———
The Associated Press journalists Nicole Winfield in Rome; Danica Kirka in London; Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal; Daniel Cole in Marseille, France; Molly Quell in the Netherlands, and David Crary in New York contributed to this report.
