COVID-19

National Cathedral Cancels In-Person Christmas Services Due to COVID

The cathedral plans to reopen at a smaller capacity and resume public worship on Jan. 9.

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As COVID-19 cases surge fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, families around the country are reconsidering their plans for the holiday. LX News Now host Eric Alvarez asks Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Aditi Nerurkar the question on everyone’s minds: Should I be canceling my Christmas and New Year’s Eve plans?

As COVID-19 cases climb in Washington, D.C., the National Cathedral announced that Christmas services will be held virtually this year.

The church usually welcomes about 15,000 people to celebrate the Christmas holiday.

D.C.’s daily COVID-19 case rate is nine times higher now than it was 30 days ago, a health department official said on Wednesday.

“Given the spike in infections, I simply cannot justify gathering massive crowds as the public health situation worsens around us,” the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith said in a statement issued Wednesday.

All services will be online during the holiday season, and the building will be closed to visitors.

The cathedral plans to reopen at a smaller capacity and resume public worship on Jan. 9.

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