Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre has reopened to visitors after a two-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Christian authorities managing the site closed it to visitors in March to prevent the spread of Covid-19, but clerics maintained prayers inside the shuttered church throughout its closure, The Associated Press reported.
On Sunday, church authorities limited entrance to 50 people at a time, and required that those entering the cavernous site maintain social distance and avoid touching any of the church’s stones, icons or other religious items.
Israeli authorities have gradually reopened schools, houses of worship and markets as the spread of the virus has slowed.
Israel’s health ministry has reported over 16,700 confirmed cases of the disease and 279 deaths. More than 14,000 have recovered.
