Easter weekend disrupted: Hong Kong church services go online, pandemic hits plans for egg hunts, short trips
- Ban on public gatherings of more than four people affects Good Friday, Easter services
- Strict Covid-19 restrictions mean a stay-at-home long weekend for most people
The four-day Easter weekend starts on April 10, but there will be no church services to attend, no fun egg hunts for children, no clubbing with friends, and no quick getaways for a short holiday.
In Hong Kong, as in many other cities and countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the long weekend has been disrupted in numerous ways.
Church-goers will have to be content staying at home and watching live-streamed services, now that public gatherings of more than four people have been banned in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
Although the city on Thursday recorded its lowest daily tally in three weeks with 13 new cases, a spike over the preceding two weeks led to authorities banning public gatherings of more than four people, effective until April 23. This means no services at Hong Kong churches this weekend.
For Christians, Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after he was put to death on Good Friday. There were about 884,000 Protestants and Catholics in Hong Kong in 2016, according to government estimates, comprising about 12 per cent of the population of 7.5 million.