Tbilisi (Georgia): The faithful attended an Orthodox Easter service in Tbilisi Holy Trinity Cathedral on Saturday despite the curfew introduced amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Police officers were controlling the entrances to the Cathedral and other churches around Georgia to ensure residents were obeying the state of emergency that is in force until May 10.
Georgian authorities have stepped up preventive measures days before the Easter Holiday to avoid large gatherings of people.
All entrances to the five major cities have been blocked and movement of cars prohibited throughout Georgia.
Read Also: Easter food blessed in Russia churches despite virus
A campaign urging people to stay home has also been widely advertised in media.
The Georgian Prime Minister and President have made special addresses calling for people to observe social distancing and stay home.
Several churches in Georgia decided to hold Easter service in empty churches.
The bigger churches around the country have been open to worshipers, but only if they commit to arriving before the country's 9 p.m. curfew begins and remaining there until the curfew lifts at 6 a.m.
Read Also: Zoos in virus shutdown, no guests but animals to feed
Special marks were placed on the floor so that people would observe distancing.
Georgia has 388 confirmed cases of COVID- 19 and four deaths according to figures from the Johns Hopkins University.
Meanwhile, in Belarus worshipers freely attended the night service as the country has not introduced a nationwide lockdown despite 4779 cases of COVID-19 and 45 deaths.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.
For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness including pneumonia and could lead to death.
(With inputs from AP)
