World News for Students of English

22-12-2020 07:00

Governments across Europe are navigating the question how to achieve a jolly and safe Christmas.

In Italy, people won’t be able to attend a midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Besides this, Pope Francis’s Christmas Eve mass will start two hours earlier so that the people who will attend it can be home by 10pm. The Netherlands is closing down for a tough five-week lockdown and there is a limit of three adult visitors per household.

Germany’s traditional Christmas markets have been called off this year; however, drive-through options have appeared across the country. Similarly, in Austria, there will be no Christmas markets this holiday season. In the UK, up to three households will be allowed to meet at home from December 23 until December 27.

In many countries across Europe, people will be allowed in outdoor public places; however, entertainment venues, restaurants and hotels will remain closed.

Difficult words: navigate (to determine what to do), jolly (happy and cheerful), mass (a large gathering of people for a service in a church), venue (a place where something happens).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.