The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is in quarantine after being in contact with a person infected with the coronavirus.
The Russian Orthodox Church's website on October 8 placed a letter from Patriarch Kirill to the leadership of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in the city of Sergiyev Posad near Moscow, in which he explains why he is unable to take part in prayers marking the Day of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
"With my deepest regret I would like to inform you that this time I cannot share the joy of prayer with you. The reason for it is my recent contact with a person who was diagnosed with having the coronavirus. The time necessary due to medical requirements for my personal quarantine has not expired yet. I considered it impossible for me to impose the threat of infection on all of you," the patriarch's letter says.
As of October 8, the number of coronavirus cases registered in Russia was 1.26 million, of which 22,056 were lethal and just over 1 million have recovered.
