Olive branches handed out on Palm Sunday in near-deserted Jerusalem

A man prays in front of the closed doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as members of the Latin Patriarchate prepare to distribute olive branches to Christian residents on Palm Sunday, during Holy Week amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem's Old City April 5, 2020. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Franciscan friars wearing surgical masks and gloves made house calls in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, delivering olive branches to Christians who are self-isolating as a precaution against the coronavirus.

One of the friars used a loud-hailer in the streets of the walled Old City to summon people to their front doors and windows, where they received branches and blessings.