They won’t, because there are no public liturgies allowed in Québec by government decree. In fact the local bishops stopped public Mass before the decree was issued, which applies to all public worship regardless of faith.

I guess the only effect for me will be that I won’t be able to attend any of the Triduum liturgies.

I will however continue to chant the Liturgy of the Hours as I do every day. It will seem strange chanting Vespers on Holy Thursday and Good Friday!

Ora

Some of the directives seem puzzling. I can't see what's wrong with the blessing of water at the Triduum - mass baptisms I can understand restricting, but putting a candle in water isn't going to transmit any viruses

For the "Baptismal Liturgy" the "Renewal of Baptismal Promises" alone is necessary.

I understood this to include the blessing of the font/water as part of the Baptismal Liturgy. I could be mistaken

It doesn't say the blessing of water is excluded/forbidden, it says it is not required.

This is the local bishop's call, not ours.

He may have made his call, but I can make mine, the lock on my wallet when his fundraising campaigns come round.

the chaos and distractions that are normal for a DM/Organist.

Indeed. Even choir members are subject to this.

SS, good luck with that. The cathedral here is doing the live streaming and my parish remains closed. Prayers for all the live streamers.

Charles,

I don't think I've ever agreed with you more completely than the statement you've put in purple.

Chonak,

What does it tell us about the current state of things that an urgently issued directive can appear to say unclear things?

As for point 1 in the document linked above, "Concerning the date of Easter":

What a pity that it says that the Triduum has to be "preceded by Lent". So it is a missed opportunity that we are in Lent already ... otherwise the entire block could be shifted together. This is definitly possible to be done by the Pope; like in 1582 in the Gregorian calendar reform, which effectively resulted such shift, if only by ten days.

I have in mind to start a petition to the Pope: to apply in yet another, but completely novel way the old rule 'that Easter be on the Sunday following the first Full Moon in spring'.

Now, taking into account that Pope Francis comes from Argentina, he should be open tho the idea of considering spring in the southern hemisphere, which starts on September 23rd. The following Full Moon (everywhere on Earth the same) will be on Thursday, October 1st, which gives us, voilà:
Easter on Sunday, October 4th, 2020!

This way Pentecost would be on November 22nd, just in time to start Advent on November 29th. (Sorry for Trinity and Christ, King of the Universe, which would have to be stuffed on weekdays in between; including Corpus Christi but that's on Thursday anyway.)
Luckily the Octave of Pentecost has been abolished in the NO liturgical year, otherwise we would have a problem ... and as for the EF calendar: traditionalists could be dispensed from following this order of Pope Francis, which will be fine with them.

Remains the problem of Lent ... if it has to precede the Triduum immediately, the only solution is to extend it by 25 weeks. (Is this really much worse than having October 4th be followed by October 15th, 1582?)
It seems that this would provide a great opportunity to live the current deprivations spiritually as an (extended) fast in Lent, as long as the situation connected to the corona virus lasts!
(Thanks, Wilko Brouwers, for putting this idea forward - I mean the spiritual connection between the present situation and Lent as such; NOT the extention.)

Our diocese pointed out that it is not ordered that the blessing of water be omitted, so we have permission to do it if we wish

I think part of the difficulty is whether one reads the document as a set of prescriptions, or permissions. I see it as the latter - at the beginning itself, the document says that these are "general indications along with some suggestions for the diocesan Bishop." The diocesan Bishop should ideally use these as the limiting cases, and then decide what is possible and what is not, according to the situation prevailing in the place.

I count the following major [possible] omissions:
(1) Washing of the Feet
(2) Procession with the Blessed Sacrament
(3) The Easter fire (including the blessing)
(4) The procession with the Paschal candle
(5) The blessing (and presumably sprinkling) of water
(6) Baptisms/Confirmation

To categorize them (guessing at reasons):
Health reasons/restrictions: (1), (6), maybe (5) [considering also the custom of obtaining blessed Easter water in some places]
Too few people/ministers on hand: (2), (3), (4), probably (5) and (1) according to the circumstances

Some of the reasons seem rather common-sense if one considers the situation of the Western European countries, etc. Who's going to take care of the fire while the priest goes to the altar? Can the old priests walk with the Paschal candle down long aisles? Who's going to decorate the place of repose? Can you really call it a dignified procession if there is only 1 other person aside from the priest? Is it reasonable to omit the blessing of the water if there are no baptisms, and only the server to sprinkle on?

On the other hand, if there are 50 people in a giant church, the situation is a bit different.

Good luck on the flour. All this becomes moot if we are still sitting at home during Holy Week and Easter, doesn't it?

So far today, I have read the Reader's Service and prayed to Mary, Undoer of Knots to end this virus. As I mentioned in another post, this is the first Sunday I haven't played since 2007 and it feels really odd.

Our bishop cancelled Masses until April 5th, but that was when we were still allowed to have 250 people gathered. Now we can only have 50 people and have to observe “social distancing of two meters (6 ft, for those still on imperial units). Technically, we could still do Triduum with full ceremonies with minimal congregation if the bishop allows it. I’m hoping for a last minute reprieve on places of worship for Holy Week. They’ve started re-opening daycare centres for critical needs workers and so far not one case of covid-19 has been attributed to attending any type of religious gathering. Doctors spread it at a convention for Doctor, ironically enough, and there was a case at a daycare centre.

Perhaps I'm lucky to have a less-liberal bishop than others. I will have to remember that, as we pray for him. Here is ours.

CGZ, I don't know how else to describe him.

It's surprising that a bishop would issue specific directives so quickly, inasmuch as the Vatican document (a "mandate" from the Pope!) calls for the bishops conference to come to some agreement about a policy to be followed (or at least a range of policy options).

Well we know what to put in the envelope next time our bishops appeal for funds!

Tom, yes, the same thing I didn't put in it this year...

Chonak, I responded the exact same way.
And I added: he has no authority to tell us where we can or can't be during the Mass he has given dispensation from - and saying the doors to the church must be locked before Mass begins is like kicking us when we're already down - as though we are going to sneak in just to spite him.

It's ridiculous, really.

saying the doors to the church must be locked before Mass begins is like kicking us when we're already down

If some small congregation were actually allowed in (10 people, say), this would make sense: it would be an attempt to stay within legal limits. Or have the local civil authorities gone so far as to prohibit all religious services without exception?

Have others' elected officials made it to where you can carry alcohol out, too? Or is it just our mayor? Here, you can order alcoholic beverages to go/delivery, as long as you order food with them.

So my hopes of celebrating the Triduum with choir and no congregation are all but dashed. I'm now returning to my parents' home since I have nothing else to do. Perhaps I can convince the local priest to let me celebrate the Triduum with him and one server...

Update:

DECREE

In time of Covid-19 (II)

Considering the rapidly evolving situation of the Covid-19 pandemic and taking into account observations which have come from Episcopal Conferences, this Congregation now offers an update to the general indications and suggestions already given to Bishops in the preceding decree of 19 March 2020.

Given that the date of Easter cannot be transferred, in the countries which have been struck by the disease and where restrictions around the assembly and movement of people have been imposed, Bishops and priests may celebrate the rites of Holy Week without the presence of the people and in a suitable place, avoiding concelebration and omitting the sign of peace.

The faithful should be informed of the beginning times of the celebrations so that they can prayerfully unite themselves in their homes. Means of live (not recorded) telematic broadcasts can be of help. In any event it remains important to dedicate an adequate time to prayer, giving importance above all to the Liturgia Horarum.

The Episcopal Conferences and individual dioceses will see to it that resources are provided to support family and personal prayer.

1 - Palm Sunday. The Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem is to be celebrated within sacred buildings; in Cathedral churches the second form given in the Roman Missal is to be adopted; in parish churches and in other places the third form is to be used.

2 – The Chrism Mass. Evaluating the concrete situation in different countries, the Episcopal Conferences will be able to give indications about a possible transfer to another date.

3 – Holy Thursday. The washing of feet, which is already optional, is to be omitted. At the end of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper the procession is also omitted and the Blessed Sacrament is to be kept in the tabernacle. On this day the faculty to celebrate Mass in a suitable place, without the presence of the people, is exceptionally granted to all priests.

4 – Good Friday. In the Universal Prayer, Bishops will arrange to have a special intention prepared for those who find themselves in distress, the sick, the dead, (cf. Missale Romanum). The adoration of the Cross by kissing it shall be limited solely to the celebrant.

5 – The Easter Vigil: Is to be celebrated only in Cathedral and parish churches. For the “Baptismal Liturgy” only the “Renewal of Baptismal Promises” is maintained (cf. Missale Romanum).

Seminaries, houses of clergy, monasteries and religious communities shall follow the indications of this decree.

Expressions of popular piety and processions which enrich the days of Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum can be transferred to other suitable days in the year, for example 14 and 15 September, according to the judgement of the Diocesan Bishop.

De mandato Summi Pontificis pro hoc tantum anno 2020.

From the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 25 March 2020, on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

Robert Card. Sarah
Prefect

✠ Arthur Roche
Archbishop Secretary

[00409-EN.01] [Original text: Italian]

Yes I had the same question.