Pope Francis’s Holy Week and Easter services, which normally draw tens of thousands of people, will be held without the public attending because of the coronavirus outbreak, a step believed to be unprecedented in modern times.

It was not clear how the massive events would be scaled down but sources said officials were studying ways to hold them in indoor locations, including St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, with small representative groups attending.

A note on the website of the Vatican department that organises papal events also said that until Easter Sunday on April 12, his general audiences and Sunday blessings would continue to be seen over the Internet and television without public participation.

The Holy Week services, which begin on Palm Sunday, lead up to Easter.

Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’s entry to Jerusalem, usually takes place at St. Peter’s Square, which traditionally is decorated with olive trees while those in the crowd hold up palm branches.

Another main Holy Week event, the Way of the Cross procession on Good Friday, takes place around Rome’s ancient Colosseum.

The main event is the Easter Sunday Mass and the pope’s twice yearly “Urbi et Orbi” blessing and message from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Square.