Reduced worship attendance to Cuba's revered virgin

Dozens of worshippers made their way to the shrine of "Our Lady of Charity" on Tuesday, the patron saint of Cuba, and an important figure in the Afro-Cuban Santeria religion, in spite of a strict lockdown in Havana due to the coronavirus.

The annual celebration at the shrine of the virgin normally sees thousands of worshippers making their way to the church, seeking relief from ailments, prosperity in the coming year, and spiritual guidance in a tradition that dates back centuries.

The pandemic put a halt to the annual services. But authorities did allow a limited number of worshippers to gather outside the shrine, while adhering to social distancing and other measures to reduce infection. Religious faithful lit candles, brought flowers and religious icons to place at the altar of the shrine, hoping for divine intercession in their daily lives. The patron saint is revered by tens of thousands of faithful Catholics on the island, many of whom make an annual pilgrimage to shrines to pay homage in spite of the secular revolution that swept the island more than 60 years ago.