Empty churches, online masses mark Easter Sunday amid COVID-19 scare

Thousands of Christians across the globe celebrated Easter on Sunday and attended the Easter mass through live-streaming as all religious places remained shut to curb the spread of coronavirus.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: Full Coverage

In India, all churches have been closed due to nationwide lockdown to prevent spread of the virus.

Religious gatherings and processions too have been banned by the government.

Unprecedented scenes of empty churches emerged from Italy and other countries of the world, as religious leaders found creative ways to address parishioners marking the holiday weekend from the confines of their homes.

More than half the world -- over four billion people -- are in lockdown worldwide as governments scramble to halt the pandemic's deadly march.

Here's a glimpse of Easter celebrations in the time of pandemic.

IMAGE: Pope Francis celebrates Easter Sunday Mass in St Peter's Basilica with no public participation due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Easter Sunday at the Vatican. Photograph: Vatican Media/Handout via Reuters

IMAGE: Pope Francis reads his 'Urbi et Orbi' ('To the City and the World') message in St Peter's Basilica with no public participation. Photograph: Vatican Media/Handout via Reuters

IMAGE: Christian devotees maintaining social distancing offer prayers at a church on the occasion of Easter amid the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: Christians sing a Gospel hymn during a special Easter fellowship outside their house, amid the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, in Dimapur, Nagaland, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: An Orthodox Christian worshipper wearing a mask holds a palm frond outside the closed doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Orthodox Palm on Sunday, in Jerusalem's Old City. Photograph: Ammar Awad/Reuters

IMAGE: Priest Richard Reid streams Easter Mass service on the internet at St Mary’s church in Clapham, London. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters

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