New Delhi:
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, churches in Delhi will have low key Christmas celebrations this year with limited attendance for the mass and prohibition of entry of visitors. “The celebrations this year will be restricted keeping in mind the pandemic. There will not be the usual midnight mass but multiple masses on December 24-25, where a limited number of people will be admitted through online registration to ensure social distancing,” said Father Stanley, spokesperson of the Catholic Archdiocese, Delhi.
He said no visitors will be allowed to enter the church campus on 24th and 25th December. Each mass will only admit 100 people this year compared to several thousand previously, he added. The religious body has brought out a notification of preventive measures to be followed at all the 54 churches in Delhi that come under its ambit. “Due to the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not have the usual midnight service at the cathedral this year.
Instead we will have anticipated Christmas mass on the 24th evening, in the church. On 24th and 25th of December, limited entry will be allowed on the basis of online registration only,” the notification said. Visitors can register online via a link available on the Sacred Heart Cathedral website. On Thursday, the anticipated mass will be held at 6 pm and 8 pm in Hindi and English respectively. On Christmas Day, four masses will be organised, one each in Malayalam and Hindi, and two in English. The masses on December 25 will be live-streamed at 9 am and 10:30 am on both Youtube and Facebook
The notification also highlighted the need for separate registrations for each member of a family, and noted that entry without a mask would be prohibited and that each visitor would be subjected to thermal screening.
