COVID-19 in Tanzania: Amid deadly resurgence, officials maintain they can pray the “coronavirus devil” away
TONNY ONYULO, writing for Religion News Service, reports from Tanzania, on how religious leaders and government officials are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic…
Vatican Museums reopen, but visitors decry lack of social distancing
Vatican CityRNS Following months of lockdown, the historic collection at the Vatican Museums reopened to the public last week but drew criticism from guides and visitors for the excessive crowds and lack of social distancing. The Vatican Museums, which house one of the most well-known and largest art collections in the world, opened its doors […]
Pope ends public audiences, eyes Christmas as virus surges
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis is halting his public general audiences and will limit participation at Christmas and other upcoming Masses amid a surge of coronavirus cases in Italy and the Vatican, officials said Thursday. Starting next week, Francis will resume livestreaming his weekly catechism lessons from his library in the Apostolic Palace, as he did […]
Australia’s COVID-19 lockdown also prevented about 400 deaths from other illnesses – research paper
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Social distancing and lockdowns in Australia not only slowed the spread of COVID-19, they saved the lives of about 400 people who would have been expected to died in June from respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia, a research paper published on Monday showed. Examining Australia’s most recent official fatality data, the Actuaries Institute […]
Churches and coronavirus: Masks keep churches from being superspreaders. But they make sermons tough
BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service, reports on how US preachers are coping with masks, church closures, online services and social distancing measures…
Seasonal flu reports hit record lows amid global social distancing
Beijing, ChinaReuters Global social distancing rules targeting coronavirus have pushed influenza infection rates to a record low, early figures show, signalling that the measures are having an unprecedented impact on other communicable diseases. In China, where the earliest wide-scale lockdown measures began, new reports of diseases including mumps, measles and some sexually transmitted diseases, have […]
One metre or two? How social distancing affects COVID-19 risk
London, UKReuters Britain on Tuesday announced an easing of social distancing rules from 4th July, reducing the recommended gap from two metres to “one metre plus” in England as it further loosened lockdown measures meant to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. What do scientists say?Infectious disease experts say the closer people are to someone infected with […]
Distancing and masks cut COVID-19 risk, says largest review of evidence
London, UKReuters Keeping at least one metre apart and wearing face masks and eye protection are the best ways to cut the risk of COVID-19 infection, according to the largest review to date of studies on coronavirus disease transmission. In a review that pooled evidence from 172 studies in 16 countries, researchers found frequent handwashing […]
Catholic faithful return to St Peter’s Square
Vatican CityAP Well-spaced faithful have gathered in St Peter’s Square for the first time in months for the traditional Sunday papal blessing. They cast their gaze at the window where the Pope normally addresses the faithful. Pope Francis delivers his blessing from the window of his studio overlooking St Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on […]
Virus surge in Indonesia raises questions about battle plan
Jakarta, IndonesiaAP Indonesia has seen a surge in coronavirus infections ahead of this this weekend’s celebrations marking the end of Ramadan, raising questions about the commitment to the virus fight from both the government and the public. Indonesia has the most COVID-19 fatalities in South-East Asia at more than 1,300 and on Thursday reported its […]