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Millions of people around the world are celebrating Christmas under coronavirus restrictions that impact a holiday typically marked by travel and large gatherings.
The battle to stop the pandemic is far from over despite the launch of massive vaccine campaigns that offer the promise of an eventual return to normalcy.
In a Christmas message, the head of the World Health Organization said that the sacrifices made to protect people during the coronavirus pandemic should not be wasted during the festive period.
Millions were making “heartbreaking sacrifices” by staying away from loved ones on Christmas Day, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a video clip posted on Twitter, while others will be missing a face at the family table.
He said vaccines, now beginning to be rolled out in countries around the world, are beginning to offer a way out of the crisis that has hit the planet this year.
“As 2020 draws to a close, a pandemic of historic proportions is preventing many of us from celebrating in the way we would like,” said Dr. Tedros.
“Instead, hundreds of millions of people are making great, heartbreaking sacrifices by staying apart to stay safe.
“But in doing so, they are giving the most precious gifts: the gifts of life and health.”
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The new coronavirus has killed at least 1.7 million people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, while nearly 78.7 million cases have been recorded, according to a count from official sources compiled by AFP.
“All over the world, throughout these difficult years, we have seen time and again the sacrifices of so many people to protect and preserve life,” said Dr. Tedros.
I wish you all a safe and peaceful vacation. This year keeping us apart to be safe from # COVID-19, we can all give the most important gifts of all: the gifts of life and health. #In thisTogetherpic.twitter.com/HlNobGujwg
– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) Dec 24, 2020
“We must not waste their sacrifices, nor those made by so many families who, this Christmas season, will sit at family tables without a familiar face.
“Despite so much loss, we have built so much hope. Vaccines are offering the world a way out of this tragedy. But it will take time for everyone to get vaccinated.”
According to the WHO overview of different candidate vaccines, 61 have entered human trials, 16 of which have reached the final stage of mass testing.
Another 172 candidate vaccines are being developed in laboratories with a view to eventual human testing.
Dr. Tedros said, “We must continue to be comforted by the fact that by caring for others, through acts of solidarity and safety, we can share the greatest gift of all – the gift of life.”
In Rome, Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica before less than 200 people.
The mass, traditionally celebrated at midnight, was brought forward to comply with the curfew rules in Italy.
Before the pandemic, several thousand people would have attended the papal mass.
St. Peter’s Square, normally packed with people on Christmas Eve, was deserted, illuminated by the glow of its towering Christmas tree and the lights of a police car.
Tough new coronavirus restrictions were imposed yesterday over the Christmas and New Year period in Italy, the country hardest hit by the virus in Europe, with nearly 71,000 deaths and more than two million cases since the start of the pandemic.
In his homily, Pope Francis stressed that the birth of a child reminds us that we should not spend our days “mourning our fate, but calming the tears of those who suffer”, in the service of “the poor.”
He gave his eighth Christmas message “Urbi et orbi” (“to the city and the world”) by video from the apostolic palace, to prevent a crowd from gathering in St. Peter’s Square.
Bethlehem was preparing for a Christmas like no other in her recent history.
Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of the Nativity is traditionally the highlight of a Christmas season in which hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank.
The service was held online this year, and only clergy and select individuals were allowed into the basilica, which was sterilized prior to the service.
“Everyone feels darkened, tired, exhausted, oppressed for too long under the heavy weight of this pandemic that is besieging our lives,” said the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
For many, the isolation that defined last year will continue until Christmas Day and beyond, as in Belgium, where residents are largely limited to receiving a single visitor.
Ireland has been placed under Level 5 restrictions, with visits of up to two households allowed until tomorrow. Thereafter, until December 31, only visits to the private homes or gardens of another home will be allowed.
Beginning January 1, no home or garden visits are allowed except for essential family reasons.
The British, meanwhile, were isolated from some areas of the world due to the emergence of a new strain of Covid-19.
Some UK border restrictions have been temporarily relaxed for the holidays, but thousands of other European countries are still stranded in England.
“Home for Christmas? Forget it,” said Laurent Beghin, a French trucker who delivered his load but was still stuck days later.
Churches in South Korea were practically empty, with worshipers gathering online as the country reported a new daily case record.
And in the Catholic-majority Philippines, services were shaken when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the country, culminating a convulsive yuletide already silenced by bans on parties and carol singing.
“Sad, very sad. Seeing everyone wearing masks, even the priest and altar boys, reminded me that the world I know is not the same,” said Kyen Quimpo Mallonga, a Manila resident, after watching the Christmas Eve mass at the television instead of attending it. local church for fear of contracting the virus.
Despite the warm weather, the usual picnic crowds also avoided the sands of Sydney’s Bondi Beach, while the waves were empty of surfing Santas and patrolling police officers enforcing social distancing rules.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged the nation to spend a quiet New Year’s period without the usual social gatherings to prevent the spread of Covid-19, which has broken infection records almost daily.
Japan also confirmed its first five cases of the newer variant of the virus that spreads faster in passengers arriving from the UK, Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said.
Japan has banned entry from the UK, with the exception of returning Japanese citizens and those with residence permits.
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