The state of California announced new guidelines Monday allowing places of worship to resume operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Places of worship will be required to limit service attendance to a quarter of the building’s maximum occupancy, with a hard limit of 100 attendees. All attendees and staff must have their temperature checked before
entering the building.
Churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship are not obligated to resume in-person services and state officials urged them to continue virtual religious services whenever possible.
“Even with adherence to physical distancing, convening in a congregational setting of multiple different households to practice a personal faith carries a relatively higher risk for widespread transmission of the COVID-19 virus, and may result in increased rates of infection, hospitalization, and death, especially among more vulnerable populations,” the state Department of Public Health wrote in announcing the new guidelines.
The use of high-touch items like offering plates and shared prayer books is discouraged and facilities will be required to rearrange seating to allow six feet of space between service attendees.
High-traffic areas like lobbies, chapels, halls and offices should also be cleaned frequently, according to the guidelines.
Large religious service events and gatherings like concerts, potlucks and holiday celebrations are still banned in the state’s public health and safety guidelines, according to the CDPH.
72 comments
Let’ see…
Separation of Church and state comes to mind…
Since when does any government entity have any authority over religion and how, when, or who people worship?
The Health Emergency has created a totalitarian government.
Are the good people of CA going to allow this to continue or are they going to take these horrid politicians and employees to the task and take this state back?
Our wonderful albeit partial 9th circuit just approved the Newsom Ban on religious freedom, the supreme court will take up that decision and throw it away without blinking an eye. Thank you Trump
For our conservative justices.
That’s not what separation of church and state means. The doctrine of separation of church and state means the church can’t run the state.
@Reason,
You cannot be serious.
1st amendment to the constituion: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Per law.cornell.edu “The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government. ”
The 1st amendment protects religion FROM government. Frankly, re-reading the 1st amendment makes me realize that the state of California has been very busy trampling all over it.
Given that even conservative judges (Scalia in the peyote case) have trampled religious liberty with far less compelling state interest; I doubt you will see any court ruling against California on first amendment grounds, unless churches are subject to more burdensome restrictions in the future than other forms of assembly.
@BORbeliver you can pick and choose how you interpret it, but separation of church and state does not mean the church doesn’t have to abide by state laws or regulations. If a suspicious death were to happen at the church, the police would still investigate and if a church catches fire the tax funded fire department still puts it out.
@ Reason:
WOW! You REALLY need to read the constitution! Therein lies the problem with California. folks!
@ Matt
Wrong! The 1st amendment of the U.S. Constitution is very clear and is not open to interpretation. The Government CANNOT restrict freedom of religion or the freedom of a (peaceful) assembly in any way. There is NO gray area in its writing. Police responding to a crime or the fire department putting out a fire have no bearing on this discussion. Neither is restricting the participant’s constitutional rights. The Governor stating that religious organizations cannot assemble breaches both elements of the 1st amendment! Clear as day!
As for the 9th circuit opinion on the Governor’s ban, the term 9th circuit says it all. They are the most overturned circuit in the court system. They are well known for their ridiculous and unconstitutional opinions. A decision by this body typically means an automation appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court!
@Matt, Hmmm, I never said that churches (or people who attend or work in churches) don’t have to abide by the law.
Yikes! There are obviously some people on this stream that slept through American Government in High School. Please people, read the constitution. Or, in this case, simply read BORbeliver’s post above. It’s pretty clear where the founding fathers were heading with this…………and we are there!
Sounds like the state is crossing civil liberties and let the law suits begin. They have already crossed the boundaries with individual coval liberties. Time to vote them all out and replace with people understand they work for us and we are not their puppets.
Very well said
Obviously Gavin Useless and crew missed the class on the First Amendment.
Serious question, does this override the decision by the 9th Circuit court of appeals to keep churches locked down? I just heard about that an hour before I read this.
Umm, no, the Court did NOT rule to keep churches locked down.
It’s doesn’t override the court decision. The decision was that the state had the authority to close churches for health reasons during the pandemic, but didn’t say that they had to remain closed. The state has the authority to reopen them.
Newsom had been in communication with various faith leaders to cooperate on a plan on reopening safely by setting guidelines and limitations. There might be some churches that disagree with the guidelines, but the court ruling would still stand that the state has the authority to set those limits.
The document from the state offered to churches is 15 pages. Some of the guidelines are strict enforceable rules, while others are suggestions.
@ Natalie
It’s not like the 9th isn’t overruled by the SCOTUS on a regular bases plus the US DOJ has already warned Newsom of possible 42 U.S.C. § 1983 violation not to be Mr Obvious, but what happens if people just ignore the Newsom and continue to attend Church services? Are you going to arrest everyone and if so, where do you put those people arrested?
Do you really want a constitutional conflict and the outcome there of? Personally, I would be very afraid for people like you if anarchy ever broke out.
The 9th Circuit upheld Newsom’s ban on in-person church services in a split ruling that landed May 22. I believe this does override the decision. If not, I stand corrected.
I read this decision earlier this morning, and it went on to say that churches would not reopen in California until Newsom’s next reopening phase that included hair salons, etc. I believe there was pressure from Trump, religious leaders, etc.
Your papers, please…….
No papers…off to the Cooler
Everyone likes the idea of temperature checks at the door, till they find out they plan to use rectal thermometers
Temperature check at the door is a feel-good measure that is almost completely useless. Many people with Covid apparently have extremely mild symptoms (no fever) or may be completely asymptomatic. Temp checks won’t do a thing about them.
Not just asymptomatic carriers but presymptomatic people can also spread it. That still leaves ~50-60% of potential carriers who could maybe be caught with a temp check. Not to mention people with other respiratory illnesses that we don’t want spread right before a spike in covid cases. Nothing is a 100% guarantee right now, but combining temp checks with masks and social distancing will slow the spread and save lives.
What’s not reported here: retail is also permitted to open statewide.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/california-reopening-store-retail-shopping-coronavirus/2296514/
I’m not freaking out– I’m furious that there’s no consistency whatsoever in the guidelines coming out of our local and state governments. Large gatherings in enclosed spaces are exactly how COVID is transmitted most efficiently. Take the church choir that practiced social distancing inside, but after practicing for a couple of hours, unanimously came down with the virus. Considering how lockdown-happy our local government seems to be, it’s pretty easy to see some of the restrictions being reimposed if numbers trend up even slightly.
Allowing churches to reopen while keeping other sectors of the economy shut down that actually benefit people and enable them to survive is a huge problem. What worries me most are the long-term issues we’re going to be dealing with as poverty and homelessness shoot through the roof. We’re coming up on the end of the eviction moratorium next month and all the “rent forgiveness” is going to end. Soon, near-double rent bills are going to be due for a massive segment of the population.
I’m in favor of reasonable risk mitigation, and opening churches under current conditions while salons and dentists are closed reeks of extreme irresponsibility. Especially when people’s actual livelihoods and health are at stake.
Lizzee, I think those are fair points to bring up and discuss. Sorry some other people get so defensive and have to turn to insulting you. I can’t believe how extreme people have gotten either way with their opinions on this.
@Lizzee
Your view point seems to be that religion has no personal value to you and thus no or little value to society. This is ridiculous.
Churches are so ubiquitous exactly because of their to value to society.
Looking at the stats for CCC, most people will not even know someone who has contracted Covid and as such people can assess the risks for themselves.
.
The evidence that a Covid pandemic exists at all is less than compelling. In CCC, 30k tested has yielded about 1.3k positive cases. Let’s be generous and call that 5%.
If 5% of the people who prayed had their prayers answered, would you consider that irrefutable proof of God?
Um, people work at churches too – do their livelihoods get to count in your world? Then there’s the little matter of the first amendment: if religion is just a luxury item, why does it get attention in the Bill of Rights?
But anyway, why do you think a quarter-capacity spaced-out group of masked people in a church are more risky than close-quarters activities like hair styling and dentistry – the latter of which involves sticking your face right in front of someone’s open mouth, spraying jets of water into it to rinse it out, etc.? Of course churches should be smart and avoid singing, should try to hold services outdoors whenever possible, shorten service times, etc. Everybody talks about that choir in WA: but if you read a detailed account, you’ll see they didn’t really practice social distancing, they didn’t have masks, they were obviously singing (for two solid hours) – none of which has to be the case at a church service. We can do without singing, we can wear masks, we can have shorter services, and we can spread out from each other. We can hold them outdoors in many cases.
I mean, I guess if dentists can show they have medical-level PPE and training in how to use it, then they should be cleared to go, imo. (My understanding is they can already see patients for emergencies.) But the activity itself generates a ton of exposure. And a dentist who was asymptomatic with Covid-19 could spread it to a lot of patients.
Bigger picture: we aren’t going to eliminate the virus any time soon. You can’t close churches indefinitely. If you try you’ll probably lose in court and you’ll definitely provoke backlash that will possibly be more risky. It makes more sense to give some guidelines now, encourage churches not to meet in person if they can avoid it, but allow them under certain provisions.
Lizzie, I agree with you that there is no consistency in these recommendations, and that is extremely frustrating. However, it is not true that churches don’t benefit people. In addition to the spiritual needs that churches provide, they also employ people. Some churches have a school on site too. I know of a parish with a school that has had to lay off many people – both their parish employees and school employees. Their jobs are just as essential as everyone else’s jobs. Furthermore, churches have other benefits, including helping the poor and homeless. Churches in Concord and Walnut Creek have housed homeless people on their sites. They frequently take up collections of money, clothing, blankets, and food. They have groups to emotionally and financially support pregnant women in crisis. They have support groups for people who are divorced, widowed, or have lost a loved one. They are the cornerstone for major rituals such as weddings and funerals. Churches do a lot for our community. They need to reopen just as salons, dentists, restaurants, and schools need to reopen. If people are allowed to gather in large numbers inside stores, then they should also be allowed to do so in places of worship. The same safety protocols can be followed. In fact, a church would be safer. They are much more open and spread out inside. Grocery stores are crowded with tight aisles. I always end up having someone within less than 6 feet of me. Again, the inconsistency of these rules they make just doesn’t make sense.
I agree with you, FA, about the lack of consistency. I think that’s all Lizzie was really trying to say. I’m not sure she was trying to offend, so much as just make a point. She’s just another person frustrated with how arbitrary and capricious many of these rules have been. They claim to be strictly following the science, and insinuating that anyone who doesn’t is ignorant, yet continue to make decisions that don’t seem to stand up to even basic scrutiny- when judged by their very own standards.
Our Sanctuary is rated for 1,200 people. Largest venue in the city. We could easily seat 300-400 people, grouped by family, with social distancing. If fact, we could do a better job than Safeway or Trader Joe’s. This is just more Animal Farm governance (All animals are equal, but SOME animals are more equal than others).
My church holds ~800/1000, but we can only have 100? Why do restaurants get 25% and we get a cap at 100?
Wow everyone jumped on that
Yeah apparently democrat politicians seem to intentionally have by passed the very basis for our country
The constitution was made to thwart exactly what these politicians have been doing
Undermining our constitution and our freedom
It seems the gloves are off and democrats are pushing for the whole absolution of our freedoms even going after the church that I thought backed democrats
It appears the politicians are implementing their takeover of the state
Gratz to the dem voters who allowed a regime of political anti American politicians to overthrow our freedoms and instill separation and used the diversity ploy to flood the state with illegals that will not fight for our American freedoms
Allowing the democrats to take over without a wisher
Gratz we are screwed and you voted for it
Wow must be proud voters
This is simply a rhetorical document designed to save face and avoid a revolt from the religious folks.
Evangelical leaders and other faith leaders had been working cooperatively with the governor for weeks to get things reopened by May 31st in time for Pentecost. It takes time to draft a 15 page government document. The recent release of the document followed the time table that the governor spoke about on May 8th. The document is not rhetoric that was released merely to avoid a revolt.
People of faith do have differing opinions about the shut down. Even in states that have already allowed churches to open, there are church leaders that have chosen not to open. The people who have been threatening revolt aren’t more religious than those who who have been constructively been working with the state. There are plenty people of faith who will choose to avoid physically attending church maybe a little while longer just to be cautious.
I know pastors who have not been working with Newscum. He or his office have not responded to them So no, this is not a cooperative document, this is as Fearless stated, a rhetorical document to try and save his face. It is too late for him to be saved … but he can continue to try.
Parent, there have been news articles over the past month featuring statements from faith leaders, including evangelical leaders that they’ve been working with the state in preparation for May 31st. So yes, it was a cooperative effort.
Just because you don’t personally know any of these individuals doesn’t mean it’s not true. The governor’s office can’t possibly be in contact with every single pastor in California, so the pastors you know shouldn’t take it personally that they weren’t contacted.
My radio evangelist said just to “Put your hands on the radio and feel the power…send me $10 in an envelope and you’ll be saved!”…it knocked the virus right out of me!
@ Natalie
And just because you heard it on the news does not make it true. =)
You are correct, I believe very little that Newscum says because … well he has proven to be a hypocritical liar. With that said, I do not believe that he worked for weeks to get the religious services open There is no money in the church being open for him (the state), so why would he bother? He ensured large business were open, (state tax money) and is now working on other businesses. My belief (not alone in it) that he is ‘working’ on churches being open now is because of the push back from the AG and the people of this state. e
@lizzee Remember when they said there was going to be millions of deaths at the start of this imaginary pandemic? And you believe it’s going to be worse when people start going back to church?! Sounds like you’re a hateful far left atheist.
Imaginary? Worldwide there are over a million deaths. Here in the US it is approaching 100,000 deaths.
Hey Pat
You might want to check your numbers. per Worldometer … supported by WHO, really close to those numbers.
Worldwide
~5.6M cases, ~2.3M recovered and 347,903 deaths. We have not seen a million deaths. Sorry … let’s be honest about the numbers and not try to drive panic and instill fear-our government and media already have that job filled.
Nope, can’t do that.
This farce has got to stop.
The sooner the churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship re-open, the suicide rate might come down.
I totally agree. This is taking a toll on us.
I watched an elderly homeless lady get shoved out of a shopping center in Walnut Creek, by the Police, when a business opened and complained she was sitting and reading outside.
Next day she was at a bus stop on dangerous Ygnacio Valley Rd. Today she was trudging along with her cart in 97+ degree heat, not knowing where to go, panting and stopping every few minutes to catch her breath.
I thought Walnut Creek was helping the homeless… Looks like it’s all for show and votes. I wonder if a Church would throw her out.
@Aunt Barbara did you help her? You don’t need to wait for the church to open. You saw someone who needed help not once but 3 times. Please tell me you helped her. As most people know, I’m of the position churches should have never been closed. I am curious how this hasn’t swept through the homeless population like wildfire.
Aunt Barbara: Many churches in Concord and Walnut Creek help homeless people with their food pantries. Some churches also allow homeless to sleep on site. So no, I don’t think they would throw her out. I am wondering the same as Sam. Did you try to help her? Maybe next time you can refer her to a local church. I know they’ll try to do what they can to help.
@Aunt barbara
Take the woman into your care, shelter her in your home, let her shower in your shower, let her be your responsibility if you care so much.
Golly gosh, was late just last Friday when 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld newsom’s in person church service ban.
Then came the real possibility newsom was going to be very, very publicly humiliated in a big way this coming Sunday.
Appears state of California and it’s wanna be presidential candidate governor have again back pedaled without mirrors, setting what has to be dang near be a new World Record.
There was no back peddling. Back on May 8th the governor said the state was working with faith leaders to get churches open by the end of the May. This past Friday he said that the guidelines would be released by Monday (today). The state didn’t write up a 15 page document, and have it checked for any liability issues, over one weekend.
Natalie
You keep believing that. This is a classic case of backpedaling 101 because Newscum is starting to realize that he is NOT in control any longer. People are going out and traveling for fun … and having backyard BBQ with family and neighbors. And people are going to church! In person! There are completely ignoring the fool who wants to be president.
@Reason,
You cannot be serious.
1st amendment to the constituion: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Per law.cornell.edu “The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government. ”
The 1st amendment protects religion FROM government. Frankly, re-reading the 1st amendment makes me realize that the state of California has been very busy trampling all over it.
I’m really looking forward to worshiping at our church. Zoom is the best we can do, but it’s not the same.
I tried following online … could not do it. I need that fellowship that comes only from being in close proximity with fellow believers.
So do I. I thanked our pastor for doing his best, and told him it’s the same. He agreed.
*not the same.
Well this is just more of the same
Democrats just doing what they are supposed to Do
Take advantage of us …take our money…take our freedom
And as a elected democrat islamists …sorry had to laugh
Ilhan Omar Says She Believes Tara Reade, But Will Still Vote for Joe Biden Against Donald Trump
There you have it
democrats supporting felonious acts and still voting for the democrat candidate
If that does not say where we are with how democrats see us
Then we are allready under control and under attack even the so called higher authority Muslims are being proper democrat followers
Sad just sad a pro democrat agenda elected anti America women faced with acts against women and believes the victim still votes for the accused democrat man
So newscum dictating power over church and state is afforded all the benefits of applause from voters and his constituents
Not surprised the hypocrisy is now just thrown in our faces
In a 4-3 decision Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the democratic governor’s covid-19 order.
Decision immediately lifts all restrictions on businesses and gatherings but leaves schools closed until the Fall.
Looking forward to more Court decisions then an eventual decision by The US Supreme Court on state’ use of executive orders.
Fatality rate of 15 percent for bubonic plague to 40 percent for septicemic plague vs an overall infection fatality rate of 0.26% (as of 20 May) for Covid-19 worldwide….. Don’t you see the similarities!?!…. me either.
The only time the state can rule the church is in a communistic contury.
Like it or not religious gatherings have been epicenters in several nations, please observer south Korea where a insane Christian cult is almost entirely responsible, and also in Iran, where delusions about religious shrines where people ritualistically lick the walls en masse has led to predictable results. Please google both for verification.
“Even with adherence to physical distancing, convening in a congregational setting of multiple different households to practice a personal faith carries a relatively higher risk for widespread transmission of the COVID-19 virus, and may result in increased rates of infection, hospitalization, and death, especially among more vulnerable populations,” the state Department of Public Health wrote in announcing the new guidelines.
If adherence to social distancing works in big crowds inside Costco, Target, Walmart, etc then why doesn’t it work in congregational settings where people practice a personal faith? I don’t see how practicing a personal faith carries “a relatively higher risk” of spreading covid. My place of worship has followed all the protocols and I know they will continue to be very careful. There are already plans for how to reopen schools in the fall with social distancing measures in place, yet schools have far more than the 100 person limit they are imposing on places of worship. There is a clear bias against religious institutions here, which is exactly what the first amendment was designed to protect us against.
I go to Safeway each week, and every time I’m there half of the shoppers go down the aisle the wrong way, block the path, park right next to you, etc…So since stores can’t get shoppers to follow the rules, they should be shut down as well!
Frankly, the shutdown is going to end from entropy if nothing else. The Russian River was jam-packed with folks on Sunday. They weren’t wear masks, weren’t ‘social distancing’ and in some cases not wearing anything. And I’m pretty sure these were Liberals, for the most part.
Would your church only allow in 1/4 of the capacity in order to honor 6 feet social distancing? Would you forego any kind of singing, as singing is basically a perfect mechanism for projecting huge amounts of viral sputum into the room? A closed room full of people singing is a nightmare, epidemiologically speaking
I am honestly curious if essential workers need to go through temperature checks daily? I am not an essential worker, so I don’t know. That seems a bit extreme to recommend the rest of the people to go through temp checks as well. We don’t do this for grocery stores.
Also, I don’t understand the 100 person cap. Especially if a church building can accommodate more people. Costco doesn’t seem to have a cap. Not that I am complaining about Costco. I really don’t care what they do, I’m thankful to be able to shop there. I’m just comparing. Seems like a double standard.
Nope no daily temperature checks at my workplace.
Personally don’t view them a double standard.
View it as straight up harassment of those who had enough of government overreach and were ready to disobey edicts of the all powerful, all knowing (predictive guessing), elected public servants and their unelected underlings.
Even though they gave in, rather than risk public humiliation will now “LET YOU” go to church but they still remind you they are in control, by forcing temperature checks.
Ever think you made a mistake and allowed wrong people to have control of your CA government ? ? ?
“ Pandemic “???? Really? Covid isn’t going away, not even with a vaccine ( it will continue to mutate) just like The Flu(s). So are we going to live in a perpetual state of “ pandemic “ now?
People are being played by the media and The Democrats. We know that data has been compromised regarding COVID deaths. And yet people ignore those facts, and prefer to live in a state of hysteria. Life is too short for this. It’s not EBOLA!
County Health Officials have been given too much power. They must bare the financial, emotional, pain and suffering they are inflicting on the people of CCC. OPEN UP CCC Now.
What was the turning point that government suddenly had a “come to Jesus” moment regarding our health and well being? We all know someone who died from cancer…..where was the government……they were out there BANNING non-conventional treatments and jailing those who promoted them.
Career politician governors should remember when they look in their mirrors, despite what some of them believe, they are not GOD.
Takes a while huh.
I now enjoy watching our church services on Youtube. I won’t be going back anytime soon.
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