TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — Masks and social distancing signs barely scratch the surface of the changes to a highly-anticipated Tarpon Springs tradition that typically attracts thousands.

Back in December of 2020, a revised plan for the event was sent to Spectrum Bay News 9 after officials said that Epiphany would happen.

But, with COVID-19 case numbers stubbornly climbing and the vaccine only in a few arms so far, St. Nicholas Cathedral and the city's public works department agreed that numerous precautions must be taken to keep the cross divers and their families safe for the Jan. 6 Epiphany event.

In addition to following basic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, here are some of the adjustments found in the special event application submitted to Tarpon Springs:

• Epiphany will be closed to the public;
• St. Nicholas Church limiting parishioner capacity to 50%;
• No age restriction to the divers eligible, and they will wear masks until jumping in the water;
• Two family members per diver allowed in parent viewing area;
• A "scaled down" procession from the church to the Spring Bayou;
• No Glendi Celebration after casting of the cross;
• Craig Park and areas around the Spring Bayou closed to prevent crowd gathering.

City Manager Mark LeCouris offered the following amendments to the plan, which were accepted unanimously by the commissioners at the December 15th meeting, along with the initial proposal.

• Work on the plan to get the people from the church down to the docks;
• Figure out how to identify parishioners who are allowed at the Bayou and how to keep them socially-distanced.

Tarpon Springs Police Chief Robert Kochen says he worked with the church to strike a balance between protecting public health and preserving religious liberty.

“Public health is paramount. This is not about religious discrimination. This is not about trying to take a shot at the church,” Kochen said during Tuesday night’s commission meeting. “If you hear that in the community — that we’re stopping Epiphany, that’s not true.”

The decision did not sit well with Commissioner Costa Vatikiotis, who said he wasn’t comfortable giving the police department wide-ranging authority over a religious event.

According to the chief, a major factor in planning for the Epiphany celebration is being able to assure the leaders of other law enforcement agencies that it’s safe to send their officers and deputies to help — a security necessity.

A representative for the church who filed the special event application said, “We can do Epiphany right. We don’t need to restrict and strangle the Greek Orthodox faithful."

Speaking after the vote with Spectrum Bay News 9, Fr. Athanasios Haros of St. Nicholas Cathedral said, "We acknowledge that this is a once in a century, so to speak, pandemic, and people need to stay safe and need to make sure they stay and keep their families from harm. Obviously, it's not going to be the massive crowds that we've seen in the past, but we pray that with cooperation between the sheriff's office and the city and the cathedral, we'll be able to come to a good compromise for the celebration of Tarpon Springs and pray to finally end this pandemic by God's grace"

Ephiphany in Tarpon Springs is a more than 100-year-old tradition that honors the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. It’s highlighted by teenage boys diving into the Spring Bayou, competing to collect a cross thrown into the water by an archbishop.

Retrieving the cross is said to give the boy good luck for the year.