Bethlehem hopes for Christmas miracle as new variant stops visitors
Bethlehem is readying for the holiday season and will go ahead with the lighting of the Christmas tree and a holiday market despite the new COVID-19 variant and fears of a new lockdown.
RAMALLAH — Busily arranging the antiques in his small shop in the Manger Square near the Church of Nativity, Laith Adnan Sobh said he hopes this holiday season will be different from the previous Christmases during the pandemic.
Over the past two years, the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on his souvenir shop, but this year Sobh ordered more wood carvings to sell.
“I am taking a chance here. Should the city go under lockdown again like the previous two years, I will face new losses,” he told Al-Monitor. “We only work during the holiday season, and missing the season means colossal losses for us,” Sobh said.
“This year, however, there has been a limited influx of tourists to the city during the month of November, which has slightly improved the economic situation. It’s not the best season but better than nothing,” he added.
