Coronavirus: Vatican announces stringent hygiene measures before resuming liturgical celebrations

The Vatican is planning to check the temperatures of the faithful before they enter its basilicas for Sunday Mass in new hygiene measures announced ahead of the resumption of liturgical celebrations amid the coronavirus pandemic. The measures announced Thursday for the Vatican's four Roman basilicas - including St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City - are even more stringent than those adopted by Italian bishops for ordinary parishes around the country.

Those churches on Monday will resume public masses for the first time in over two months, following a detailed hygiene and security protocol that prohibits anyone with a fever or who has been in contact with a COVID-19 patient from attending Mass. The Vatican hasn't said when Pope Francis would preside over his first post-lockdown celebration in St. Peter's, but it has agreed with the prelates who run its basilicas to adopt necessary safety guarantees, including checking the temperatures of the faithful at least on Sundays and feast days when larger crowds are expected.

Italy was the first European country to be hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and has registered more than 31,000 dead.

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