Russians celebrate annunciation amid virus outbreak

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, led a service on Tuesday to mark the Annunciation in an almost empty cathedral, which was closed to worshipers due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The service in Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Moscow, was broadcast live to devotees after Patriarch Kirill recommended that people abstain from visiting churches during the pandemic.

Priests at St. Catherine Cathedral in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar also celebrated the Annunciation in an empty church, while their parishioners followed online at home.

"This situation reminds us about the first Christians when there were no splendid churches, services and choir," said Evgeniy Kostornoi who watched the ceremony on his laptop. The recommendation from Patriarch Kirill, however, was not unanimously adopted by all churches in Russia. In Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, devotees attended a mass in large numbers, despite the Patriarch's recommendation and a citywide lockdown put in place to help prevent the spread of the virus. Russian media reported on Sunday that three Moscow priests tested positive for the new virus.

Church officials called on parishioners of the churches where the priests served to isolate themselves and pay attention to their health.

Last week in Bryansk, around 400 kilometres (249 miles) southwest of Moscow, the Evangelical Christian church "Revival" was closed and quarantined after several parishioners were diagnosed with COVID-19, according to a report on Russian state TV.

On Tuesday, Russian authorities registered more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours for the first time since the beginning of the outbreak. The government's coronavirus task force reported 1,154 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the country's total confirmed caseload to 7,497, with 58 deaths and 494 recoveries.

The epidemic in Russia picked up speed in March, with the number of cases growing exponentially and doubling every few days. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russians to stay at home, with only essential services such as pharmacies and grocery stores open for business.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.