MACAU (UCAN): The Diocese of Macau has closed all churches and suspended public Masses until further notice as the territory grapples with a new outbreak of Covid-19, the Catholic weekly Jornal O’Clarim reported.
“All churches will be closed indefinitely. We ask those who wish to participate in daily Mass online to go to the website of the diocese and attend livestreamed Mass from our YouTube channel. We will have livestreamed Mass every day,” said Father Daniel Rebeiro, parish priest of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady.
Father Rebeiro also announced that the parish has moved the ceremony of the Sacrament of Communion from June 19 to September.
This is the third time that churches in Macau have closed doors since the Covid-19 pandemic hit Macau more than two years ago.
The first closure came when Macau detected its first infection on 22 January 2020, and churches reopened in March after authorities lifted the restrictions. The second closure came in August that year and lasted for about two weeks.
Casinos are allowed to remain open while theaters, fitness centres and leisure facilities must halt operations, according to a circular from the chief executive, Ho Iat Seng
Macau had earlier recorded 129 cases with no deaths and its estimated 700,000 residents had undergone mass nucleic acid testing [NAT].
However in recent weeks, cases increased sharply, with 357 new cases being recorded, prompting authorities to impose shutdowns and another round of NAT testing for all residents during a 33-hour programme from June 27-28, the Macau Business newspaper reported.
Macau’s administration imposed restrictions from June 23—including the closure of bars, cinemas, hair salons and outdoor parks.
Casinos are allowed to remain open while theaters, fitness centres and leisure facilities must halt operations, according to a circular from the chief executive, Ho Iat Seng.
The authorities designated 61 stations for NAT testing including several Church-run institutes such as St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School and Matteo Ricci College.
Macau was hit hard when Covid-19 struck, closing the entertainment industry for months and leaving thousands of migrant workers without jobs and income.
Charity groups such as Caritas Macau joined with the government to provide food and cash to migrants left marooned due to the strict lockdowns.
