AFP, published on Friday, December 24, 2021 at 8:19 a.m.
Billions of people around the world are preparing to celebrate a Christmas clouded by the explosion of the Omicron variant on Friday, which results in numerous restrictions on the time of family reunions.
For the second year in a row, the surge in Covid-19 infections is casting a chill on festive projects, from Sydney to Seville.
In Bethlehem, where Jesus was born according to Christians, the hotel industry which was expecting an influx of tourists shows its disappointment. After almost total containment last year, Israel has again closed the borders.
As in 2020, midnight mass will be reserved there for a small circle of faithful, by invitation only.
The procession, led by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, is expected to attract more people than last year thanks to more flexible restrictions.
In the Vatican, the traditional Christmas mass will be presided over by Pope Francis at 7:30 p.m. (6.30 p.m. GMT) in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, before the eighth Urbi et Orbi blessing of the Argentine Pontiff from Saint Peter’s Square the next day. .
Elsewhere in the world, even with the Netherlands on lockdown, Broadway canceled Christmas shows, and Spain reintroducing the mandatory outdoor mask, gatherings will generally be easier than last year.
Millions of Americans are preparing to cross their country, even though the Omicron wave already exceeds the peak of the Delta variant and hospitals are running out of beds.
The journeys could prove complicated for many of them, with the main company, United, having announced the cancellation of 120 flights due to the impact of the infections on its staff.
– “Fragment of hope” –
Most Australians can once again travel within the country, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, reinforcing the Christmas spirit in a country which is yet experiencing a record number of contaminations.
“We have all witnessed moving scenes of people finding themselves at airports after months of separation,” said the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, in his Christmas message.
“In such a dark time, Christmas is a ray of sunshine, a fragment of hope”.
For British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a vaccination certificate would be the most beautiful effect at the foot of the tree.
“While the time to buy gifts is theoretically running out, there is still one wonderful thing you can give to your family and to the whole country, and that is to get that dose, whether it be your first or your second, or your encore, so that next year’s festivities are even better than this year’s, ”he said.
In Moscow, in the midst of tension with Western countries over Ukraine, Vladimir Putin asked Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost, local version of Santa Claus) to help Russia carry out its projects.
“I hope that he will not only bring us gifts, but that he will also carry out the projects of the country and of each citizen,” said the Russian president.
After the hope of freedoms regained thanks to vaccination, the appearance of the highly contagious variant Omicron has darkened the atmosphere in homes.
As the holidays approach, Netflix’s most popular program, “Unforgivable,” recounts, far from a Christmas tale, the difficulty of redemption after years in prison for murder.
And on Spotify, the indebted “All I want for Christmas is you” was debunked by a song about a rupture full of profanity.
But border closures and restrictions will not prevent a famous sleigh pulled by reindeer from traveling the globe, Canadian airspace having been opened to it, after presentation of a vaccination certificate and a negative Covid test.
This was assured by the Minister of Transport in Ottawa, giving a green light to the crew, even to Rudolph whose “nose was shining brightly (but) made sure he had no symptoms. of Covid-19 before taking off “.
Same thoughtfulness from the Australian side: “Our air traffic controllers will guide Santa Claus safely through Australian airspace, using our surveillance technology to track him twice per second,” the Air Safety Authority said.
“He’s cleared to fly at 500 feet so he can graze the rooftops and deliver his gifts quickly and discreetly. After all, his magic sled is no ordinary plane.”
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