Archbishop Chrysostomos said on Wednesday he hoped the expected lockdown would not see churches close altogether.

Performing a service to mark Epiphany in Paphos, the Archbishop said he himself was stricter even than the government in complying with measures because if people did not become strict with themselves, the virus would not go.

However, he wished that people would still be able to go to church in some form.

“We must all learn to be disciplined and to put up with the consequences of austerity in order for the virus to go away,” he said.

He was satisfied, he said, to see people in church wearing their masks and keeping their distance and he called on the government not to make things even more difficult for churchgoers.

The Archbishop, who has been vaccinated, hoped that the presence of the faithful would not be banned in a possible lockdown, noting that some Churches that are larger, can easily accommodate more believers than the 75 specified in the last decree.