Georgians sidestep virus curfew to go to Easter mass

TBILISI: Hundreds attended Orthodox Easter celebrations in Georgia on Sunday despite a curfew imposed as a containment measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Georgia has declared a state of emergency, imposed a lockdown, a night curfew and a ban on gatherings of more than three people in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. But bowing to pressure from politically influential religious authorities, the government allowed Easter services to go ahead.

Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, the head of Georgia´s Orthodox Apostolic Church, led a service in Tbilisi´s Holy Trinity Cathedral, one of the world´s biggest Orthodox Christian churches. Around two hundred believers attended the solemn service that included ancient Georgian chants -- recognised on UNESCO´s global intangible heritage list. Chanting "Christ is risen!" the parishioners held a procession around the perimeter of the cathedral as bells rang out.

"With the Lord's help, thanks to the efforts of our doctors and the authorities, the pandemic has not led to grave consequences in our country," the octogenarian Patriarch said. "By God's will, Georgia and the entire world will soon overcome this trial." The small Black Sea nation has reported 388 virus cases and four deaths, one of the lowest rates in Europe, but medics warn its health service could not cope with a large outbreak.

In the Church of the Transfiguration in Tbilisi, 58-year-old accountant Lamara Zhvania, said she attended the Easter mass "to pray for the coronavirus ordeal to end soon". Georgia's leading doctors expressed outrage at the decision to go ahead with Easter celebrations -- which usually attract huge crowds of believers, -- saying they could fuel the spread of the coronavirus.