The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, left Jerusalem on Thursday (December 24) for the West Bank town of Bethlehem to start muted Christmas festivities.

Bethlehem's Christmas in the time of COVID-19 pandemic

The Church of the Nativity was closed, and most souvenir shops shuttered. Hotels that are usually sold out months in advance were deserted. Among the few signs of life on the main street in Bethlehem’s Old City last Friday were the chirping of a few birds and stray cats scavenging an overflowing garbage can.

A COVID Christmas comes to Bethlehem

The festive season is right around the corner. But in the biblical town of Bethlehem, the COVID-19 pandemic is now dampening Christmas cheer. On this week's The West Asia Post, Ghadi Francis tells you how the town is gearing up for a dismal season.

The West Asia Post | COVID-19 robs Bethlehem of Christmas cheer

On one of the West Bank city of Bethlehem's main streets, an unusual name for a restaurant has caught the eyes of passesrby:"Corona-Sandwich" restaurant.

Coronavirus-branded restaurant turns heads in the occupied West bank

The Church of the Nativity in the biblical city of Bethlehem was closed indefinitely Thursday amid suspicions that four Palestinians had caught the coronavirus.

Bethlehem closes Church of Nativity over Coronavirus fears

The global coronavirus outbreak has now forced the closure of religious sites across the world. The Church of Nativity in West Bank has been shut down and foreign tourists have been banned from all West Bank hotels for two weeks. Watch report:

Coronavirus outbreak forces closure of religious sites

Israel has imposed a lockdown on the city of Bethlehem over coronavirus fears as Palestinian authorities announced a two-week ban on tourists and shuttered the Church of the Nativity.

Bethlehem under lockdown after virus cases confirmed

Bethlehem bracing for Christmas rush with more inns and rooms

Thousands of pilgrims from around the world flocked to Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas at the birthplace of Jesus, which witnessed its most cheerful celebrations in many years, breaking the despondency of last year in the wake of US administration's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Thousands flock to Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas at Jesus's birthplace

The December 6 announcement by US President Donald Trump unleashed demonstrations and clashes, including in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank where Christians will mark the birth of Jesus in a midnight mass

Jerusalem tensions cast shadow over Holy Land Christmas

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