The problem is that many churches are very large gatherings, often with thousands of people, in an enclosed space, with poor ventilation, with many elderly, for a prolonged period of time. Have we already forgotten that the largest superspreading event in the world happened in a Christian church?
Let’s say 1 in 1,000 Californians is currently contagious. 72% of Californians follow an organized religion and 39% of Americans go to church weekly.
If we assume 40% of Californians start going to a religious gathering each week, that’s 16 million peouple.
If 1 in 1,000 Californians are contagious on that Sunday, that could mean 16,000 outbreaks each week.
Even if 90% of contagious people had symptoms or had been tested so they know not to go to church, we would have 1,600 outbreaks a week, and we’d be back to a strict Shelter-In-Place in no time.
I could see permitting spaced-out, outdoor worship services over the summer with a small maximum number of attendees, but trying to open it up as of it’s just a typical restaurant or office would be disastrous.
Maybe your church is small and people would agree not to sing and stay home even if their allergies are bad, but there are so many brobdingnagian churches out there, it’ll ruin the country and kill a lot of people in a few weeks if the megachurches are permitted to congregate indoors. The good news is that Catholicism is the most common denomination in the US and my guess is that the Catholic church won’t be as reckless as some lone pastors.
Let’s say 1 in 1,000 Californians is currently contagious. 72% of Californians follow an organized religion and 39% of Americans go to church weekly.
If we assume 40% of Californians start going to a religious gathering each week, that’s 16 million peouple.
If 1 in 1,000 Californians are contagious on that Sunday, that could mean 16,000 outbreaks each week.
Even if 90% of contagious people had symptoms or had been tested so they know not to go to church, we would have 1,600 outbreaks a week, and we’d be back to a strict Shelter-In-Place in no time.
I could see permitting spaced-out, outdoor worship services over the summer with a small maximum number of attendees, but trying to open it up as of it’s just a typical restaurant or office would be disastrous.
Maybe your church is small and people would agree not to sing and stay home even if their allergies are bad, but there are so many brobdingnagian churches out there, it’ll ruin the country and kill a lot of people in a few weeks if the megachurches are permitted to congregate indoors. The good news is that Catholicism is the most common denomination in the US and my guess is that the Catholic church won’t be as reckless as some lone pastors.