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Revered Holy Land Churches Reopen, but Some Restrictions Remain

Reuters

   JERUSALEM - The Holy Land churches revered as the sites of Jesus' birth
   and death reopened to worshippers and tourists on Tuesday as
   Palestinian and church authorities eased coronavirus restrictions.

   Amid lingering pandemic concerns, Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity is
   capping access at 50 people at a time and requires that they be free of
   fever and wear protective masks.

   Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of
   Jesus' crucifixion, death and resurrection, also reopened its doors,
   but worshippers will be required to coordinate their visit in advance.

   Both churches were closed in March, in a blow to the local tourism
   industry.

   "The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ gave hope to people more than 2,000
   years ago, and opening the church today will, I think, give hope to the
   whole world that hopefully this pandemic will end - not only in
   Palestine but in the whole world," Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula
   Ma'ayah told Reuters in Bethlehem.

   The town, just south of Jerusalem, is among areas where Palestinians
   exercise limited self-rule in the West Bank, under Israeli occupation
   since the 1967 Middle East war.

   There have been 423 recorded coronavirus cases and two deaths in the
   West Bank.

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