His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
His Eminence, who is fully vaccinated, showed mild symptoms of COVID-19 disease and was immediately placed in self-isolation to prevent the spread of the virus.
In the statement, His Eminence urged parishioners to follow the medical advice of health professionals, especially as the Omicron variant continues to spread across Australia.
“I fully understand the adverse effects and especially the psychological fatigue that the evolving ordeal of the pandemic has brought to everyone,” Archbishop Makarios said.
“However, it is clear that we are going through an extremely critical period, during which the new variant of the virus is unfortunately spreading rapidly.
“…For this reason, I urge you all to do your utmost to protect yourself and the people around you, and to reduce as much as possible the risk of contracting the disease or transmitting the virus to someone else.”
The Archbishop also urged people to get vaccinated as there are “no dogmatic, canonical and ecclesiastical reasons not to vaccinate someone.”
