[Genuine Realist]

The question is what happens if you designate some activities as essential. If churches are not considered essential, then you could see a situation arise where there is a lawsuit challenging the designation of religious services as nonessential.

BC

Essential doesn't mean crazy. Even in the early days, you went to grocery stores with appropriate caution. There's no respectable liturgy that can't be modified to the circumstances. The Mass has been said in all sorts of unlikely places and circumstances. Zoom isn't that big a departure.

That said, you DO keep churches open.

Well, I agree with your first paragraph, and I suspect you will find few sources of disagreement.  Our Synagogue, in California, is conducting services over zoom.  The shelter in place orders haven't affected whether it conducts services, but it has prevented it from conducting in person services. So, when people are arguing for "opening the churches", they mean "opening them for in person services", and that could be more contentious.  You could probably come to a compromise where church services are allowed if there is some limit on the density of people in the building, however, even that is somewhat risky given the length of exposure and the singing that may be occurring.

BC

Just about every church locally is using Zoom and other programs.

There is an enormous non-sequitur here. 'Essential services' does NOT mean freedom from social distancing regulation. Opening churches does NOT imply congregant services. Other commercial establishments that are deemed 'essential' still impose mask requirements, six feet distaance, etc.

Someone is spoiling here for a quite unnecessary fight.

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California has revised state guidelines to allow churches to re-open, subject to approval of each county. Attendance is limited to 25% of building capacity or 100 people, whichever is less, for the first 21 days. The guidelines call for a distance of 6 feet between family groups, face coverings, temperature screening, and various other measures.

Mercury News article -- https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/25/n...-capacity/ 

Full guidelines -- https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-plac...orship.pdf

Not only sensible, but iinevitable.

Closing the doors altogether, however - like beauty salons - was out of the question. Also obviously.

[Genuine Realist]

The question is what happens if you designate some activities as essential. If churches are not considered essential, then you could see a situation arise where there is a lawsuit challenging the designation of religious services as nonessential.

BC

Essential doesn't mean crazy. Even in the early days, you went to grocery stores with appropriate caution. There's no respectable liturgy that can't be modified to the circumstances. The Mass has been said in all sorts of unlikely places and circumstances. Zoom isn't that big a departure.

That said, you DO keep churches open.

Well, I agree with your first paragraph, and I suspect you will find few sources of disagreement.  Our Synagogue, in California, is conducting services over zoom.  The shelter in place orders haven't affected whether it conducts services, but it has prevented it from conducting in person services. So, when people are arguing for "opening the churches", they mean "opening them for in person services", and that could be more contentious.  You could probably come to a compromise where church services are allowed if there is some limit on the density of people in the building, however, even that is somewhat risky given the length of exposure and the singing that may be occurring.

BC

Just about every church locally is using Zoom and other programs.

There is an enormous non-sequitur here. 'Essential services' does NOT mean freedom from social distancing regulation. Opening churches does NOT imply congregant services. Other commercial establishments that are deemed 'essential' still impose mask requirements, six feet distaance, etc.

Someone is spoiling here for a quite unnecessary fight.

---

California has revised state guidelines to allow churches to re-open, subject to approval of each county. Attendance is limited to 25% of building capacity or 100 people, whichever is less, for the first 21 days. The guidelines call for a distance of 6 feet between family groups, face coverings, temperature screening, and various other measures.

Mercury News article -- https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/25/n...-capacity/ 

Full guidelines -- https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-plac...orship.pdf

Not only sensible, but iinevitable.

Closing the doors altogether, however - like beauty salons - was out of the question. Also obviously.