- While California continues to fight a spike in coronavirus cases, the state Department of Public Health has banned people from singing or singing in places of worship.
- California was praised for its successful early response, but the state has recently experienced record levels in new cases.
- On May 25, the state began allowing churches to reopen with safety guidelines. This week, he updated his guidelines to discourage singing.
- There is an increased likelihood of transmission of the coronavirus-contaminated droplets during singing and singing, the department said.
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As California continues to fight a wave of coronavirus cases, the state allows houses of worship to remain open, but those who attend religious services are prohibited from singing or singing, according to state guidelines that were updated on Wednesday.
Meeting in a congregational setting carried a “relatively greater risk” for COVID-19 transmission, according to the Department of Public Health.
“In particular, activities like singing and singing negate the risk reduction achieved through six feet of physical distance,” said the guidelines released Wednesday. “Therefore, places of worship should discontinue singing and singing activities and limit indoor attendance to 25% of the building’s capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is less.”
California was initially praised for its successful early response to the coronavirus. As the virus began to spread in the state, places of worship were closed. After improving infection rates, the state announced on May 25 that congregations could reopen if they met safety guidelines.
At the time, those guidelines included setting parameters around singing and group recitations, including the requirement that choir members wear face masks at all times. The state also recommended that the activities take place outside, or that the clergy consider eliminating them entirely.
In the past two weeks; However, there has been a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
The state reached a record number of new cases in a single day, more than 7,000, on June 23, according to government data. As of Friday, there have been 6,265 deaths in the state, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In response to this increase, the Department of Public Health revised its guidance for places of worship. The move came the same day that California reversed its plan to reopen businesses by calling more than a dozen counties to stop food inside; and close to movie theaters, museums and other places, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The Christian Capital Center, with capacity for 4,000 people, told the Sacramento Bee that it would follow the new guidelines.
“We recognize that singing is a challenge,” Jason Batt, director of church operations, told the newspaper.
