SW News: The government of Israel has once again reopened its borders for tourists after a year and a half since the pandemic outbreak. Individual tourists and pilgrims who have been vaccinated can visit the Holy Land from this month onwards.

The Franciscan friars in charge of the Custody of the Holy Land have welcomed the move since they were badly hit during the lockdown. With pilgrims slowly arriving in the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, said people should learn to live with the virus. He added, "We must rediscover the value of trust, of hope that goes beyond death. We can discover that there is no stronger antidote than the Risen Christ."

Israel authorities have also allowed pilgrims to visit shrines in all the territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority. The Custos said that all tourists must follow the Covid-19 protocols and take the Covid test before and after arrival.

Fr. Patton hopes that the crowd of pilgrims will go up by December. Bethlehem was the worst hit when the city was locked down during the pandemic. The local people depended on tourism to earn their livelihood, especially hotel owners, tourist guides, restaurant managers, and those who sold Rosaries and cribs to pilgrims.

The Custos said the most affected were the Franciscan friars who had to look after 70 shrines. Without tourists for more than a year, the friars received less or no income for maintaining all the shrines. Fr. Patton hopes there will be an increase in the number of tourists in the city in the coming months.