(Bethlehem) Billions of people around the world are celebrating cloudy Christmas with COVID-19 and many restrictions are being put in place for family reunions due to the explosion of cases linked to the Omicron variant on Friday.
In Bethlehem, a Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, several hundred people gathered to follow a parade of Palestinian scouts in Manger Square, despite the cold and cloudy skies.
“It’s very different from other years, when it’s crowded,” said Crystal Eleanor from Jerusalem. “‘Oh my God, stranger! This Dutch woman who married a Palestinian is laughing’ Now we say to ourselves when we meet someone.
The sound of drums and bagpipes in the square, which adjoins the Basilica of Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus, according to Christian tradition, brought some joy.
As in 2020, the midnight mass will be reserved for a small circle of believers by invitation only. It is celebrated by the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Pierre Batista Pizzaballa.
Photo by Mazdi Mohammed, Associated Press
Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Pierre Batista Pizzaballa
In the Vatican, the traditional Christmas Mass will be presided over by Pope Francis at 7:30 p.m.
Elsewhere, the rise of Kovid-19 infections is causing a chill on party projects. Meetings are generally smoother than last year, despite the Netherlands being restricted, Broadway canceling Christmas performances and Spain and Greece reintroducing the mandatory outdoor mask.
The United Kingdom, which has experienced an asteroid spread of the Omicron variant, recorded more than 122,000 additional COVID-19 cases on Friday, a new record since the outbreak began.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the best Christmas gift was to give a dose of the vaccine “whether it be your first or your second or your booster”.
Airlines have had to cancel more than 2,000 flights worldwide, with nearly a quarter of them in the United States, especially the Omicron variant COVID-19, which disrupts holiday travel.
Millions of Americans are preparing to cross their country anyway, yet the Omicron Wave has already surpassed the peak of the Delta variant, with an average of 171,000 daily cases in seven days and no beds in hospitals.
President Joe Biden visits a Washington hospital with his wife, Jill Biden, as the first lady continues the tradition of visiting children admitted to the hospital at the end of each year.
Photo by Caroline Coaster, Associated Press
Jill Biden with her husband visited the Children’s National Hospital.
While the presidential couple admired the lanterns made by young patients and leaked some stories about the commander, the German Shepherd’s recent visit to the White House has delighted social networks.
“Fragment of hope”
Many Australians will be able to travel within the country once again, further strengthening the Christmas spirit in a country facing record levels of pollution for the first time since the outbreak began.
Sydney Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher in his Christmas message praised the “moving scenes where people meet at airports months later”.
In France, the number of tests performed by French people seeking to find their loved ones for Christmas rose to a record 6.2 million last week. And another record-breaking Thursday with 91,608 confirmed cases.
According to a report established by the AFP from an official source on Friday, the pandemic has killed at least 5,385,564 people worldwide since the end of 2019.
According to the AFP database, it accelerated last week in almost every region of the world except the Middle East and Asia.
Morocco has extended the closure of its air borders until the end of January, effective November 29.
But border closures and restrictions do not prevent a famous reindeer sleigh from roaming around the world.
“Even Rudolf, whose nose was glowing brightly, was assured of this by the Minister of Transport in Ottawa, giving the staff a green light. [mais] He was diagnosed with COVID-19 before taking off.
The same ideology on the Australian side: “Our air traffic controllers operate Santa Claus safely in Australian airspace,” the Air Safety Authority said.
“He has the power to fly at 500 feet so that he can graze the roofs and deliver his gifts quickly and intelligently.”
In Brazil, a black Santa Claus helicopter delivers food packages to residents of Penha Favela in Rio de Janeiro.
“Kids look at me and laugh, play and talk. They feel like they represent black Santa Claus, ”said Leonardo Pereira da Silva, 30, a resident of Fevela and a member of NGO Central Unicas das Favelas (CUFA).
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