January 1, Happy Easter from Middle American News

Good morning Middle America, 

Christians all over the world are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And a lot of us are praying for the resurrection of the economy and a return to our normal way of life. Today we are bringing you an abbreviated version of the newsletter with a couple of stories to mark this truly unusual holiest of holy days. 

Read all about it. 

-Fraser Dixon 

New Virus Hot Spots Sprout; World Marks Easter at a Distance

(AP) – The world celebrated Easter at a distance on Sunday, with most churches closed and family gatherings canceled amid wide-ranging coronavirus shutdowns. Huge uncertainties loomed about the outlook not just for the next few weeks but for the months ahead — with a top European Union official raising a question mark over summer vacation plans.

Southern Europe and the United States, whose death toll of over 20,600 is now the world’s highest, have been the recent focal points of the pandemic. But coronavirus hot spots have been shifting constantly and new concerns are rising in Japan, Turkey, the U.S. Midwest and Britain, where the death toll on Sunday was expected to surpass 10,000.

Read more here

Online, in Parking Lots and on TV, U.S. Christians Face Uncommon Easter

(Reuters) – Online, on television and even in their cars in church parking lots, American Christians will, due to the coronavirus pandemic, observe an Easter Sunday unlike any they have lived through.

Governors and health authorities across the United States have broadly asked residents to avoid gathering in large numbers, leading to the closure of schools, businesses and churches.

The COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus has claimed more than 16,000 lives across the United States and infected more than 450,000 people, with officials predicting the worst is yet to come.

Major U.S. religious institutions, including Roman Catholic dioceses and Protestant churches, have found alternatives to safely celebrate the holiest day on the Christian calendar.

Learn more here