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More than 84% of the population of the Netherlands is fully vaccinated and a total of 587 people with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized in intensive care units, according to the Dutch government dashboard.
The Catholic bishops of the Netherlands have decided to cancel Christmas midnight masses again this year as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Dutch bishops announced on December 1 that no Catholic mass or other parochial functions would be allowed after 5 p.m., with public places to close between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. under new government measures until at least December 19. .
The Dutch Bishops’ Conference website explained that the decision, also taken last year, was taken to prevent large crowds from gathering for evening masses on Christmas Eve. He added that it is difficult to maintain good ventilation with several masses in one evening.
Other Church gatherings, such as catechetical meetings and parish council meetings, cannot be held virtually until after 5:00 p.m. Evening masses on weekdays and Saturdays will be brought forward to end at 5 p.m.
Dutch authorities have announced that researchers have discovered that there had been cases of the new omicron variant of COVID-19 in the Netherlands before the variant was detected in South Africa, according to NPR.
More than 84% of the population of the Netherlands is fully vaccinated and a total of 587 people with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized in intensive care units, according to the Dutch government. dashboard.
The new restrictions come as the Catholic Church in the Netherlands is in financial difficulty.
The Dutch newspaper Trouw reported on November 30 that the 640 Catholic parishes in the Netherlands lost 15 million euros (about $ 17 million) last year due to the pandemic and an aging population.
He said four out of five Catholic parishes in the Netherlands are in financial difficulty and some parishes are selling church buildings as a result.
There are 3.7 million Catholics in the Netherlands, but only 4% attend mass regularly, according to Dutch News.
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