Churches will put into effect a decision to reduce the number of participants in masses and other religious and educational events starting Sunday. The number of participants may only reach a maximum of 25 percent of the church’s capacity.
The the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria issued the decision in a statement on 27 October, as part of preventive measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The statement noted that the percentage can also be reduced based on the health situation of each diocese.
The decision will be also applied to funerals and wedding ceremonies as well as all educational centres and institutions related to churches.
The Coptic Orthodox Church also decided to suspend all trips and spiritual retreats, third day memorials and baptisms, and to limit priests’ visits to telephone calls.
Egypt has urged caution in anticipation of a second wave of coronavirus infections, amid the resurgence in cases in many European countries in parallel with the advent of autumn.
So far, the country has reported a total of 107,555 coronavirus cases and 6,266 related deaths, according to official figures by the health ministry.
The number of daily cases in Egypt has slightly increased over the past 10 days.
