The new "Corona" strain in South Africa is not more dangerous than the British

The world celebrates “remotely” Christmas in light of “Corona”

People gathered to take pictures of a Tokyo Christmas tree display.

Father

Hundreds of millions around the world celebrated, yesterday, Christmas, in light of the restrictions imposed by the new Corona virus (Covid-19) through a shortened version of the holiday that has always been marked by travel and large gatherings, while the Minister of Health in South Africa, Zwaili Mkhize, announced in response to his counterpart British, there is no evidence that the new strain of Coronavirus, which was detected in South Africa, is more dangerous or contagious than the one discovered in Britain.

The battle to stop the spread of the epidemic, which has claimed more than 1.7 lives in the world, seems far from over, despite the launch of large-scale vaccination campaigns, giving hope that the situation may eventually return to normal.

Churches across South Korea appeared mostly empty, as worshipers gathered online at a time when the country recorded a record daily death toll.

In the "Yodo Complete Bible" church in Seoul, which usually receives up to 10,000 worshipers, only 15 people attended Friday, all of whom were employees and members of the choir.

Church member Park Jae-woo told AFP that it was "heartbreaking."

In the predominantly Catholic Philippines, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the country, making the situation worse, amid a ban on holding parties and performing hymns.

Despite the heat, the crowds avoided, by default, Sydney's Bondi Beach, in the absence of the surfers who usually dressed as Santa Claus, while police patrols monitored the enforcement of social distancing rules.

As for Pope Francis, the spiritual father of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics, he held a mass on Christmas Eve in St. Peter's Basilica, with fewer than 200 believers wearing protective masks, most of whom worked in the Vatican.

The date of the mass, which usually takes place at midnight, has been brought forward to comply with the curfew rules imposed by Italy.

Before the pandemic, thousands of believers and tourists were buying tickets to attend the papal mass.

Saint Peter's Square, which is usually crowded with people on Christmas Eve, was deserted Thursday evening, as the Christmas tree decorated it, amid the lights of police cars.

And new restrictions were imposed to contain "Covid-19", the day before yesterday, to be applied during the Christmas and New Year period throughout Italy, the country most affected by the emerging Corona virus in Europe, where more than two million infections were recorded, and about 71 thousand deaths since the outbreak of the epidemic. .

In his sermon, the Argentine Pope indicated that this reminds us that time should not be spent "weeping over our fate, but wiping the tears of those who are suffering and serving the poor."

He added, regrettably, that believers "who are hungry for entertainment, success and worldliness are mostly ignorant of good treatment."

As for Bethlehem, it was preparing for a birthday unparalleled in recent history.

The Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity has long been the culmination of the festive season, during which hundreds of thousands flock to the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank.

Mass was held online this year, as only clergy and a limited number of individuals were permitted to enter the church, which had been sterilized prior to the ceremony.

The Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said, "Everyone feels that they are in darkness, tired and exhausted, and that they are burdened by this plague that has threatened our lives."

And in Qamishli, in northeastern Syria, hundreds of residents of one of the neighborhoods where the majority of Christianity reside, have replaced masks with Christmas hats to celebrate the lighting of the Christmas tree.

"We were concerned about the possibility of canceling the celebrations this year due to the new Corona virus, but as you can see everyone here is celebrating, and we are happy," said Maria Danho, a 36-year-old mother of two.

Germany was forced to cancel its famous Christmas markets, while churches in Kuwait were closed until January 10.

For many, the isolation that was the most prominent feature of the year during and after Christmas will continue, as is the case in Belgium, where residents are not allowed to receive more than one visitor.

Meanwhile, the British have been cut off from large parts of the world, due to the emergence of a new strain of "Covid-19".

While some restrictions on travel from the United Kingdom have been eased temporarily to mark the holidays, thousands of citizens of other European countries are still stranded in England.

“Going home at Christmas?” Said a French truck driver, Laurent Bigan, who entered the country to deliver his cargo, but is still stuck days later.

Forget it ».

And in Johannesburg, Health Minister Zwaili Mkhize said, in a statement issued the day before yesterday: «Now, there is no evidence that 501-V2 is more contagious than the British strain, as the British Minister of Health considered Matt Hancock.

"There is also no evidence that it leads to a more severe form of the disease, or increased mortality from the British strain, or any of the mutations that have been identified around the world," he added.

Last Wednesday, the British Minister of Health said that the new mutated strain in South Africa is "a source of great concern, because it is more contagious, and it appears that it has mutated more than the new strain that was discovered in the United Kingdom," announcing the travel restrictions between the two countries.

Most churches across South Korea appeared empty, as worshipers gathered online at a time when the country recorded a record daily casualty toll.

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