Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church announced that it will ban visits to cemeteries this Christmas in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus within the country.
In an official statement on Saturday, the Church announced the ban on the visits during Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated on January 7, to avoid gatherings and crowds.
The cemeteries will only be open to burials, the Church said.
Coptic Orthodox Egyptians, who make up around 90 percent of all Christians in the country, celebrate Christmas on 7 January. A minority of non-Orthodox Christians observed the holiday on 25 December.
The decision comes days after the Church announced stricter restrictions on religious gatherings until the end of January in Cairo and Alexandria as the country entered the second wave of infections late in December.
Those include lowering the number of participants in the Christmas and Epiphany masses at each church to a maximum of 20 people only, in addition to the church's priests.
Only one mass will be held weekly in each church and attendance will be limited to priests and 15 deacons at most.
Sunday schools, meetings, other activities and services will also be suspended.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
