Filenews 14 December 2020
Queen Elizabeth will be deprived this year of her family, the Germans the traditional hot wine, the Swiss the Christmas hymns of mass: the world is preparing to celebrate this strange Christmas as the Covid-19 dictates.
Calls for attention
From France to the World Health Organisation and Norway, authorities are calling for vigilance despite the need for social contacts and relaxation after this painful year.
"I'm that guy who steals your Christmas," admitted Brian Allister, the prime minister of the Canadian province of Manitoba, pleading with his fellow citizens "not to congregate at Christmas."
"If we now have, before Christmas, increased social contacts, and then it turns out to be the last Christmas with the grandparents, then we will have lost something," Angela Merkel said with emotion.
Christmas with fewer
Belgium is one of the countries with the largest restrictions on the number of co-parents per household at Christmas: one guest per household, two for people living alone.
No more than six adults at the festive table for France.
Norwegians relax the holiday ban a little and allow for ten-person festive gatherings. "We will need to improvise and lengthen the table to keep the distance," Prime Minister Erna Solberg said.
In the United Kingdom, except as an out of the case, family gatherings (three households at most) will be allowed between 23 and 27 December. Queen Elizabeth and her husband Philip will spend the holidays at Windsor Castle this year, not with the whole family at Sandringham.
In Quebec, by contrast, the decision to allow rallies for a four-day Christmas because of the outbreaks was annulled.
Restrictions on travel
Italy will implement very strict travel ban measures between the regions from 21 December to 6 December and between communities on 25, 26 December and 1 January.
In Belgium, a curfew will apply from midnight until 05.00 and in Luxembourg throughout the holiday season from 23.00 to 06.00.
In Spain, the government is calling for avoiding travel between regions, other than family visits.
In France, only Christmas Eve is exempt from the curfew
Shops, restaurants, shows
Germany is closing shops and banning the sale of alcohol outdoors, abolishing its kiosks this year. Restaurants, bars, cultural and sports venues are already closed.
In France, Christmas shopping shops have opened, but restaurants and entertainment venues remain closed.
On the contrary, in the countries where the restaurants operate, they will be able to close later on New Year's Day, as in Switzerland, where, however, the medical world is calling for the closure of the whole country due to the outbreak.
Changes to functions
Pope to speed up 'night mass' by two hours to prevent curfew
Christmas service in Bethlehem will take place without believers.
In Switzerland, Christmas hymns are banned in churches.
Traditions will wait
Austrians will spend the holidays without the Christmas markets.
The people of Madrid will this year be deprived of the twelve grape tradition where they swallow these at midnight on New Year's Eve in Pierta de Sol.
Fireworks are banned in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, where the government wants to rid the Emergency Services of injuries.
London and Paris cancelled fireworks events to mark New Year.
Source: RES-BE
