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Christmas Eve celebrations subdued around the world due to coronavirus pandemic, strict lockdowns

By Associated Press

Dec. 24, 2020

Coronavirus OutbreakCoronavirus Outbreak WorldCoronavirus Photos

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Priest Evaldas Darulis leads the Christmas celebration midnight Mass, which is broadcast live from an empty St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic church in Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, Dec. 24. The catholic church cancelled all worship services but is open only for single prayers. All public and private events are banned in Lithuania, clubs, bars restaurants and most shops are closed due to the virus outbreak.
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A woman wearing face mask to protect against coronavirus, walks on an empty street in Old Town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, Dec. 24. The catholic church cancelled all worship services but is open only for single prayers. All public and private events are banned in Lithuania, clubs, bars restaurants and most shops are closed due to the virus outbreak.
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Iraqi Christians attend a Christmas Eve Mass in the holy father church in Basra, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 24.
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People gather at Syntagma square which is illuminated with Christmas lights, in central Athens, Thursday, Dec. 24. Health officials warned that extra restrictions might be enforced over New Year if Greeks fail to respect Christmas restrictions as Greece is under lockdown, and has seen new infections drop to three digits over the past few days.
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MAURO SCROBOGNA/LAPRESSE VIA AP

The road leading to St. Peter's Square at the Vatican looks deserted, in Rome, Thursday, Dec. 24. Italy went into a modified nationwide lockdown Thursday for the Christmas and New Year period, with restrictions on personal movement and commercial activity similar to the 10 weeks of hard lockdown Italy imposed from March to May when the country became the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe.
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A child dressed as Santa Claus, right, rings a bell for Jerusalem's Santa Claus as they walk with volunteers from a Catholic men's group distributing presents to children on Christmas Eve in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Thursday, Dec. 24. With the coronavirus dampening Christmas celebrations this year, the men's group organized gifts to families free of charge.
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A child dressed as Santa Claus poses for a portrait Christmas Eve in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Thursday, Dec. 24.
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Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally recognized by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24. Few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened Christmas Eve celebrations.
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People wearing Christmas costumes and protective masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, walk at the waterfront of Victoria Harbour, in Hong Kong, Thursday, Dec. 24.
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A message that reads 'Jesus will unmask the world' is displayed on a Christmas crib lit up with lights on the eve of Christmas in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Dec. 24. Though Hindus and Muslims comprise the majority of the population in India, Christmas is a national holiday celebrated with much fanfare.
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NATHAN DENETTE/THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP

Carolyn Ellis, left, creator of the hug glove hugs her mother Susan Watts, 74, in her backyard on Christmas Eve during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guelph, Ont., Thursday, Dec. 24. Watts is a retired nurse who lives in an apartment nearby and gets to come over outside and hug her daughter's family.
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Indonesian Catholics wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, attend a Christmas mass service at a church in Bali, Indonesia on Thursday, Dec. 24.
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Nuns wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus walk past a Christmas tree with a coronavirus-themed decoration before Christmas mass service at a church in Bali, Indonesia on Thursday, Dec. 24.
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A Christmas tree is on display on a street in the Shar-e-Naw neighborhood of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 24.
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A woman wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus takes a photo near a Christmas decoration in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 24.

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Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in Bethlehem and elsewhere
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