You will not have to comply with the lock.
The Greek Orthodox Church on Monday told priests not to observe the Greek government’s edict to close houses of worship, as part of the country’s new coronavirus restrictions.
The Conservative church issued a statement directing religious leaders to allow the faithful to gather inside to celebrate the services of the Epiphany feast on Wednesday.
The Holy Synod said it “does not accept” the one-week restriction issued in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19 ahead of the planned reopening of schools.
The January 3-10 shutdown comes after Greece closed schools and largely suspended economic activity in November due to infections that increased almost to the point of completing hospitals.
These measures were partially relaxed before Christmas, which allowed churches to resume some activities.
But officials are now restarting strict regulations for a week, ahead of the school’s planned reopening on Jan. 11.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Orthodox officials have had a mixed response to security and health measures, ranging from mild support to severe opposition.
Greece has been better at managing the virus than many other European nations, with approximately 136,000 confirmed cases in total and fewer than 5,000 deaths, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
With publishing cables