Plenty of room in Bethelem Inns this Christmas

In 2020 many people around the world see the coronavirus as the Grinch who is trying to steal Christmas. This is the same sentiment by some in Bethlehem, the land where it all began. The Nativity story tells us that the inns were full over 2000 years ago and there was no room for Mary to give birth. In 2020 the inns have plenty of room but many of them along with hotels. restaurants and souvenir shops are now closed. The popular Christmas tree lighting service will be limited and only a small group of 15 authorized, invited guests can attend. It will be the same things with Bethlehem's church services on Christmas Eve 2020.

Maryana al-Arja, who owns the 120-room Angel Hotel on the outskirts of the city says she has closed for a lack of business. She added a somber, “Bethlehem is dead.” al-Aria kept her 25 employees working for as long as she could but eventually had to let them go. Her hotel was the site of the first coronavirus outbreak in the area which happened after a group of Greek tourists became infected with COVID-19. al-Arja said that she had 351 tourist groups booked for the holiday season, and all of them canceled. There normally are pilgrims from around the world who make their way to Bethlehem each year at this time,but that is not the case in 2020.

It is being reported that in 2019 over 3 million tourists walked the streets of Bethlehem and with them came a lot of money being spent that helped businesses to thrive. Elyas al-Arja the head of Bethlehem's hotel association said that 60 percent of the city depends on the holiday pilgrims to survive. The Ambassador Hotel is located near the Church of the Nativity, which was built on the site where Jesus is believed to have been born. The hotel has reopened one floor in the hopes that some local visitors may still decide to celebrate in the coming weeks.

The hotel receptionist, Mahmoud Tarman, said the Ambassador has already rehired eight of its 60 workers to serve local holiday guests. It's not clear however how many peole will show up because of the repeated lockdowns that have affected the economy in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority, imposed a new nighttime lockdown this week to help contain a spike in coronavirus cases. Everyone, including those in Bethlehem, must remain indoors from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m.

Bethlehem's mayor Anton Salmon announced that there would only be 15 VIP's in attendance at the annual Christmas tree lighting where normally there are thousands in attendance. Midnight Mass is usually attended by hundreds of pilgrims from all over the globe, local VIPs, and religious leaders. Salman this has been cut back and officials are still working on the guest list. There will only be foreign diplomats and religious leaders in attendance as the event will be closed to the public. It will be broadcast live on television so that those who are interested can watch.

Things may slow down and be scaled back, but one thing is clear, Christmas in Bethlehem definitely will not be canceled. This is the message from business leaders, hotel owners, and also the mayor. Just 12 months ago this Palestinian town was enjoying its best holiday season in over 2 decades. Who could have imagined that one year later they would be preparing for the worst. Mayor Salmon closed out his interview with the following statement. "This Christmas from Bethlehem there will be a message of hope to the whole world, that the world will recover from this pandemic." Perhaps a year from now business will be booming again and there will be more in attendance than ever before.