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  • Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov urged compatriots Thursday to pray at home and not visit churches for Easter to stop the spread of COVID-19 after Christian Orthodox leaders refused to close their doors. "Religious leaders cannot tell people not to go to church but I can. And I urge Bulgarians not to go, so as not to compromise confinement measures," Borisov told a press conference. Bulgaria, a predominantly Christian Orthodox country, celebrates Palm Sunday on April 12 and Easter on April 19, and huge crowds traditionally gather in and around churches for vigils and services even if regular churchgoers are much fewer in number. The church's governing body -- the Holy Synod -- has insisted that cathedrals and churches remain open, despite persistent calls to the contrary from medical experts and the government's coronavirus taskforce. They want to prevent a potential surge in COVID-19 infections. Metropolitan Bishop Gavrail of Lovech, who represented the Holy Synod at the press conference with Borisov, assured that measures would be taken for Christians to keep their distance. Church icons would be rigorously disinfected, and those in attendance would have to wear masks, he said. Church officials will not distribute blessed willow branches and flowers that the faithful traditionally take home on Palm Sunday, and Easter services would be held outdoors, he added. "I am not afraid. Where God's blessing is, all microbes burn," the bishop said. Borisov said he would refrain from going to church "to set a personal example". "There was not an Easter till now, when I did not attend church myself. But this time I will not go," the Bulgarian premier said. He added that only the truly devout, "for whom not going to church would feel like being cut off from oxygenation," should attend services, while others should pray at home. The Balkan country has imposed strict confinement measures since mid-March to contain the virus and protect a fragile health system. Borisov said parks and mountain trails could be re-opened if new infections were kept in check throughout Easter. The EU member of seven million people has registered 618 COVID-19 cases, including 24 deaths. ds/jza/wai
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  • Stay home at Easter even if churches stay open: Bulgaria PM
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