Moscow Orthodox churches re-open

Moscow's Orthodox Churches reopened to believers on Saturday after being closed for nearly two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The reopening comes on the back of new measures by Moscow authorities to gradually lift the coronavirus-induced lockdown as the new number of infections has dropped in recent weeks.

Congregations at Moscow churches will be asked to wear medical masks, keep a distance of 1.5 meters and refrain from kissing icons. The number of visitors will be restricted to one person to every four square meters.

Russia's Orthodox Church announced the re-openings earlier this week after consultations with Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Russia's consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.

The decision to allow congregations to attend services again is at the discretion of regional authorities. St. Petersburg allowed church services to resume for the public on Friday.

The closure of churches in Moscow on April 13, one week before Orthodox Easter, led to a backlash from many believers, who were forced to follow services online.

Moscow has been the epicenter of Russia's coronavirus outbreak, accounting for about half the country's more than 458,000 infections and 5,725 deaths. But as the number of new infections appears to level off, restrictions are slowly being lifted.

Many businesses were allowed to reopen this week, although restaurants are still limited to takeaway service.  The city also approved residents' going for walks this week, although allowing them to go only on certain days according to schedules based on where they live.