AFP, Released Friday, December 24, 2021 at 8:19 p.m.
Billions of people around the world are getting ready to celebrate Christmas on Friday with the eruption of the Omigron variant, resulting in many restrictions on family reunions.
For the second year in a row, an increase in Govt-19 infections is causing a chill in festive plans from Sydney to Seville.
According to Christians, the hotel industry in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, was disappointed with the arrival of tourists. After almost total control last year, Israel has closed its borders again.
As in 2020, the midnight mass will be assigned there, to a small circle of believers, by invitation only.
The procession, led by Jerusalem’s Latin patriot Pierbattista Pizzaballa, is expected to attract more people than last year.
At the Vatican, a traditional Christmas service will be held at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome the next day at 7:30 pm (GMT 6.30 pm), following the Argentine Pope’s Eighth Urbi et Orbi blessing from St. Peter’s Square. ..
Elsewhere in the world, though locked in the Netherlands, Broadway canceled Christmas shows and Spain reintroduced the mandatory outdoor mask, making meetings generally easier than last year.
Although the Omigron wave has already crossed the delta variance and hospitals are running without beds, millions of Americans are preparing to cross their country.
With major company United announcing the cancellation of 120 flights to its employees due to the impact of the epidemic, travel for many of them could be complicated.
– “Piece of Hope” –
Most Australians can travel back into the country, reinforcing the Christmas feeling in a country that, for the first time since the outbreak, is still experiencing record numbers of pollution.
Sydney Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher said in his Christmas message, “We have all seen moving scenes of people finding themselves at airports a few months after their separation.”
“At such a dark time, Christmas is a ray of sunshine, a piece of hope.”
For British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the vaccine is the most beautiful effect at the base of a certified tree.
“While the time to buy gifts is theoretically over, there is still one wonderful thing you can offer your family and the whole country, whether it’s your first or second, or your encore, that’s getting that amount, so next year’s festivities will be better than this year,” he said. .
In Moscow, amid tensions with Western nations in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin asked Ted Moros (Grandfather Frost, a local version of Santa Claus) to help Russia implement his plans.
“I hope he will bring us not only gifts, but he will carry out the plans of the country and every citizen,” said the Russian president.
After the return of the hope of independence through vaccination, the appearance of the highly contagious type Omicron has darkened the atmosphere in homes.
As the holidays approach, Netflix’s most popular project “Unforgivable” describes the difficulty of recovering from years of imprisonment for murder, far removed from a Christmas story.
On Spotify, the immortal “I Want You For Christmas” was removed by a song about a slanderous slander.
But border closures and restrictions will not stop a popular snowmobile from being towed around the world by Canadian airspace, after vaccination certification and a negative Govt test.
The transport minister in Ottawa promised that “even Rudolph, who had a bright nose (but) confirmed that he had no signs of Covit-19 before departure, had given the green light to the staff.”
The same thought from the Australian side: “Our air traffic controllers will guide Santa Claus safely through Australian airspace, using our surveillance technology to monitor him twice a second,” the Air Defense Commission said.
“He deserves to fly at an altitude of 500 feet so he can graze the roofs and deliver his gifts quickly and wisely. After all, his magic slate is no ordinary plane.”
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”