Pope Francis has cancelled a ceremony that traditionally begins Rome’s Christmas season on Dec. 8 at the Spanish Steps because of coronavirus restrictions, Reuters quoted the Vatican as saying on Monday.

The pope customarily places a wreath of flowers at the base of a 12-metre column bearing a statue of the Madonna and blesses from a distance another wreath already placed around the statue’s arm by firefighters using a ladder.

The Vatican said Francis would skip the ceremony, which popes have been carrying out on the feast of the Immaculate Conception since 1953, “in order to avoid any risk of contagion caused by gatherings of people”.

Thousands of people usually line the streets near the area to see the pope and pray with him.