The Orthodox Church of Greece has closed during their Holy Week as the coronavirus outbreak continues to shutter events worldwide.

Footage is seen here in Thessaloniki on Monday (April 13).

Orthodox Holy Week in Coronavirus Times - Only some churches hold liturgies during Easter Week but behind closed doors. As Greece enters Holy Week, the most sacred time of year for Orthodox Christians and traditionally a period of public gatherings and religious services, authorities will be watching carefully to ensure that the restrictions designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic are being upheld. Officials have warned that any sign of flouting the rules, also by members of the flock who may be tempted to gather outside churches or protest the ban, will bring stricter measures. The government and the Church of Greece have clarified that places of worship, regardless of their size and capacity, will only be open for clerics during Holy Week.

The Holy Synod has cautioned clerics against going rogue, but a lot will depend on the stance of the country’s 82 archbishops.
Ministerial Decision of Greece’s Ministries of Education and Health was published on Monday, specifying the way churches are allowed to operate between April 12 and April 20, during the Orthodox Christian Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Churches to conduct liturgies, must abide by under Greece’s strict social-distancing rules and without any congregation whatsoever in attendance. Up to four people only will be allowed inside each church, including the priest, acolyte and chanter(s). The church itself will be obliged to enforce the appropriate social distancing rules and any other public-health related measures put in place by the State.

Churches will be allowed to broadcast their liturgies both on television and radio as well as individually via live streaming them on the internet, as is currently done elsewhere. These measures apply to all religions, and even include all the monasteries of the country, where congregants are not allowed even at normal times. Greece and the rest of the Orthodox Christian world will celebrate Easter this year on Sunday, April 19, one week after the Western Churches.