Are churches safe?

(AXIOS) - 35 of the 92 people (38%) who attended services at a rural Arkansas church March 6–11 tested positive for the coronavirus, ultimately killing three, according to a case study released Tuesday by the CDC.

Why it matters: Places of worship continue to be a problem for controlling the widespread transmission of the coronavirus, especially as some churches and local government officials push to loosen restrictions on religious gatherings.

CDC: Arkansas coronavirus outbreak linked to church services

(CNN) - A church in Houston has canceled mass indefinitely after one of its priests died and five others subsequently tested positive for the coronavirus.

Texas church cancels masses following death of a possibly Covid-19 positive priest

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

My problem is that without widespread testing from the get go we will never know how many of those 35 people had the virus prior to going to church. A recent study in Los Angeles using antibody testing shows infection rates especially among those who were never symptomatic may be 28 to 55% higher than originally thought. So while it might indicate that at least some of those folks caught the virus at church correlation does not always equate to causation. There are people risking their lives to spend their stimulus checks at Walmart. If I were a person of faith , which I am not I think I would rather take my chances in church.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

This seems sensible to me.

When Your Church Reopens, Here’s How to Meet Safely

A global health expert suggests a phased plan for congregations gathering again amid this pandemic...

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/may-web-only/when-churches-reopen-phase-coronavirus-covid-19-guidelines.html

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Probably not. Close proximity, singing, chanting. This is not religious discrimination. It’s about the safety of the masses. Lemme put it this way - what would jesus do?

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Quote

President Trump called houses of worship “essential services” and told governors to let them open “right now.”

Quote

“I call upon governors to allow our churches and places of worship to open right now,” he said. “If there’s any question, they’re going to have to call me but they’re not going to be successful in that call.”

Read in its entirety: Trump Calls Houses of Worship 'Essential Services' and Urges Reopening

[toomuchbaloney]

23 hours ago, herring_RN said:

This seems sensible to me.

When Your Church Reopens, Here’s How to Meet Safely

A global health expert suggests a phased plan for congregations gathering again amid this pandemic...

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/may-web-only/when-churches-reopen-phase-coronavirus-covid-19-guidelines.html

Seems pragmatic.

[nursel56]

I don't think a church (or any gathering like that for religious or spiritual fellowship) is any more or less safe than a similar group of people in a confined space involving close proximity. It's distressing to me that the word "church" is used by some to imply an anti-Christian bias.

We had a pastor here in California who held services but decided to implement a modified social distancing regimen, so I think it will be hard to assess risk on a broad-based basis, with varying levels of restrictions.

[Daisy Joyce]

As a person of faith, I’m very missing liturgy . But my church is following the law of the land.

This isn’t a theology or philosophy forum, but In the 2000 years of Christianity, there have been many times and places where liturgy and Christian communal spiritual life have been disrupted. We keep pushing on.

[toomuchbaloney]

I can now tune into the worship service of my favorite churches...some very far away. I appreciate the diversity of messages.

Just the other day a friend and I socially distanced, read and sang some scripture with a bit of guitar to add to the worship. It was a great time. Then we cracked a beer and The Beatles were the next focus of the singalong. LOL

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

We have a small Baptist church near our house. Many of our friends attend it and I've cared for many of them. I always enjoy attending services there because there is no choir. One person leads hymns and plays the keyboard organ while the congregation sings. I hope to be invited again when they start having services again. For now in is on an app of some kind. Some of my fondest memories including singing along with others.

When I was 11 my uncle took some of us to a revival out in Oklahoma farm country. He said he didn't take us to the one the year before because the preacher was racist. The revival we enjoyed was put on by Oral Roberts.

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

On 5/21/2020 at 3:04 PM, herring_RN said:

This seems sensible to me.

When Your Church Reopens, Here’s How to Meet Safely

A global health expert suggests a phased plan for congregations gathering again amid this pandemic...

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/may-web-only/when-churches-reopen-phase-coronavirus-covid-19-guidelines.html

I wonder how many church goers would resist the thought of a log and seating chart to track possible contacts. Our governor is suggesting restaurants keep a log of patrons for this reason and people are declaring this is tyranny.

I am not a church goer, so I have little to say, except that I feel for my fellow nurses. They will be called on to care for the inevitable spread that will occur, as demonstrated by churches in several states. Hopefully faith leaders will proceed carefully.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I am a Catholic whose parish has been closed since mid-March. Our Archbishop gave us a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass, which is still in effect despite the fact that the church is partially open this weekend. We have to sign up to be able to attend, and we must wear a mask and sit in separate pews. They've added Masses during the week so those who are not allowed to attend on Saturday or Sunday can go, but the spots go quick. They still don't want people over 60 and/or underlying conditions to go, so I'm staying home. Thankfully they're livestreaming Masses on the website (but they're hard to catch because they're early in the morning).

I have no idea of how long this will go on. My Mass attendance has been spotty over the past year or so, but now that I can't go, I want to so badly.