As COVID-19 cases climb in Washington, D.C., the National Cathedral announced that Christmas services will be held virtually this year.
The church usually welcomes about 15,000 people to celebrate the Christmas holiday.
D.C.’s daily COVID-19 case rate is nine times higher now than it was 30 days ago, a health department official said on Wednesday.
“Given the spike in infections, I simply cannot justify gathering massive crowds as the public health situation worsens around us,” the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith said in a statement issued Wednesday.
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All services will be online during the holiday season, and the building will be closed to visitors.
The cathedral plans to reopen at a smaller capacity and resume public worship on Jan. 9.
