The coronavirus epidemic turned the tide of Christmas celebrations around the world, with South Korea filing daily cases, the pope declining on Christmas Eve, and China suspending flights to the UK indefinitely.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China Following the emergence of new, apparently more transmissible, variants of the virus decided to follow the example of dozens of countries that introduced bans. There are currently eight weekly flights between mainland China and Britain, including two by British Airways.
Late on Thursday. Hong Kong After announcing his arrival in the UK earlier this week, he announced an increase in hotel exposure from 14 to 21 days for all foreign arrivals. Some UK travelers discovered the new measures soon after their arrival, RTHK reported.
Amid concerns of fresh change there, the government also banned anyone from staying in South Africa for more than two hours in the last 21 days.
“[The new measures are] A government spokesman told the South China Morning Post that it was important to ensure that even if the incubation period of the virus exceeded 14 days in a very rare case, it would not be able to pass through fish that would slip through the net.
In South Korea On Friday, Prime Minister Chung Si-queon said a record 1,241 new coronavirus cases had been reported on Thursday, urging authorities to respond “strictly” to violations of social distance rules.
Chung said there are still many places that did not comply with the lockdown rules, with some restaurants and bars serving guests after 9pm despite locking their doors and closing signs.
“A large part of the nation confidently adheres to the government’s antivirus measures despite their discomfort and pain, but it is difficult to expect results from participating in antivirus measures if there is a little cheat for their own benefit,” he said.
Chung said there was a big eruption at the Dongbu detention center in eastern Seoul and urged all public servants to abide by the Christmas rules while the last step of the “spring of hope” was the Christmas and New Year holidays. More than 53,000 cases and 750 deaths have been reported in South Korea.
Globally, there are now more than 79 million cases, and more than 1.7474 million deaths. With the most impact so far.
In Italy, Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve in front of less than 200 masked faithful, mostly Vatican staff, at St. Peter’s Basilica. The group, traditionally held at midnight, moved to 7.30pm to meet curfew rules in Italy, Europe’s most difficult state.
In his humility, the Pope of Argentina insisted that the birth of a child reminds us that we should not spend our days, but enjoy our sorrows, and serve the poor.
On Christmas Day, Francis will send his message via video from the evangelical palace so that the crowd does not gather in St. Peter’s Square.
In Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, Christmas was unlike any other in its recent history. The next month of Christmas at Church of the Nativity is traditionally the highlight of the holiday season that attracts thousands of visitors. But this year the mass will be closed to the public and the broadcast will be broadcast online, with only pastors and selected individuals allowed inside the basilica, which was sterilized on Thursday.
In the war-torn northeast Syria, Hundreds of residents living in the predominantly Christian neighborhood of the city of Camille wore face masks for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony and pulled off Santa hats.
Attendee Maria Denhau said: “We are concerned that the celebration will be canceled this year because of the novel coronavirus, but you can see that everyone is celebrating here and we are happy.”
Germany When its famous Christmas markets were forced to cancel Kuwait, Churches serving its vast Christian community were closed until 10 January.
In the Catholic majority PhilippinesSome are choosing to spend the holidays on public transport because of the risk of catching the virus, as well as the quarantine rules that make travel time and cost more expensive.
“I’m ordering food, re-watching old movies and meeting my family through video,” said Kim Patria, 31, who lives alone in Manila.
Britain, meanwhile, was cut off from various parts of the world due to the emergence of the new Covid-19 variant.
Some of the UK’s border restrictions have been temporarily eased for the holidays, but tens of thousands of other European countries are stuck in England. “Home for Christmas? Forget it, ”said La La Rent Begin, the French truck driver who delivered his goods, but was stuck several days later.
For now, Sydney Inn .Australia With its famous Harbor Bridge fireworks display set to kick off in 2021, New South Wales state premier Gladys Berejiklian will go “no matter what” with a lavish seven-minute promise.
However, the Premier urged Sydneyziders to avoid the rush of traditional Bingxing Day sales in the city center. He said: “We know this is not the easiest message to give to retailers but we want to disappoint those who go to CBD tomorrow. If you are going to shop at CBD, make sure you are wearing a mask. “
Agency with France-Press, Reuters
