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Newsom: Guidance for reopening of churches expected Monday

by City News Service • May 22, 2020

Gov. Gavin Newsom [Image via Facebook]
LOS ANGELES – Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday the state will issue guidelines by Monday for the reopening of churches and other houses of worship across the state, despite President Donald Trump‘s insistence that they be allowed to reopen immediately for in-person services.

Newsom said the state has been “working with the faith community to advance the efforts to begin to put out guidelines, processes and procedures to (protect the) health and safety of congregants and parishioners.”

“We’ve been working throughout the interfaith community … all up and down the state, working on the differentiation, the large mega-churches versus more neighborhood-style churches and different styles of pews and sanitation protocols, synagogues versus working with other faiths. We’ve been working on those sectoral guidelines and we are just days away, at the latest on Monday, we will put out those guidelines.”

Newsom’s comments came hours after Trump held a news conference deeming houses of worship to be “essential,” and saying he would override governors of states that refuse to allow them to open immediately.

“Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential,” Trump said. “It’s not right. So I’m correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released “interim guidance” on Friday for houses of worship, while continuing to warn that “gatherings present a risk for increasing the spread of COVID-19 during this public health emergency.”

The CDC guidance includes standard recommendations such as frequent hand-washing, encouraging face coverings for staff and congregants, frequent cleaning of surfaces and promotion of social distancing through physical set-up and limited attendance.

The guidelines also recommend changes in the way houses of worship collect financial donations, limited physical contact such as shaking hands or hugging, and limiting the sharing of objects such as prayer books and cups.

More than 1,200 pastors and clergy from across California sent the governor a letter earlier this week saying they plan to resume in-person services May 31, regardless of state restrictions.

Some churches and faith leaders have also sued the state, seeking to compel the reopening of houses of worship, and the U.S. Department of Justice recently sent a letter to the state warning that restrictions on such facilities could be a violation of federal law.

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Filed Under: Health, Home, Lancaster, Palmdale, Politics

6 comments for "Newsom: Guidance for reopening of churches expected Monday"

  1. John Evans says

    May 23, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    Churches are the most essential as the mind body and soul are ministered to. There never has been or ever will be community without faith. To believe otherwise is to deny yourself and become a hollow chested wraith.

  2. surfside 6 says

    May 23, 2020 at 8:12 am

    Monday is a bit too late. Because what the Lord done giveth…Newsom and his badge pushing ticket writers won’t never taketh away.

    • Magnetlady says

      May 23, 2020 at 8:46 am

      MONDAY is not acceptable to ME …. I’ll follow what the PRESIDENT says first!!…IF you can go to Walmart, Target, Grocery Stores, etc. who follow the 6′ guidance, the Churches are doing the SAME!! OPEN UP CALIFORNIA NOW!!

      • David C Thompson says

        May 25, 2020 at 10:10 am

        So you went golfing? Because the Exalted Orange certainly wasn’t in a Church.

        • Carlos Martinez says

          May 25, 2020 at 1:28 pm

          Take a look at the cnn video on youtube. It has more dislikes than likes because people are tired of cnn. Let the man golf. Where were you when Obama was golfing. Hypocrite. You should stop watching CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and Buzzfeed. They are making you look dumb.

          • Laughing says

            May 25, 2020 at 2:56 pm

            Carlos, hard to tell why the video was disliked without a comment from each disliker.
            People complained about Obama golfing, difference is, he played a hell of a lot less than Trump.
            I also recall Trump saying it was a waste of the peoples money to have a president golfing and if he were in office he would set aside golfing for the duration of the presidency.
            He is just a paid actor anyway, bought and paid for by corporations.

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