Washington D.C., May 20, 2020 / 23:50 pm
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's efforts to lift some anti-coronavirus restrictions cannot single out churches for stricter treatment than other similar public activities, the U.S. Department of Justice has said.
"Simply put, there is no pandemic exception to the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights," Eric S. Dreiband, head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, said in a May 19 letter to Newsom joined by four U.S. attorneys for California.
"Religion and religious worship continue to be central to the lives of millions of Americans. This is true now more than ever," the letter continued. "Religious communities have rallied to protect their communities from the spread of this disease by making services available online, in parking lots, or outdoors, by indoor services with a majority of pews empty, and in numerous other creative ways that otherwise comply with social distancing and sanitation guidelines."
California's rules allow restaurants and other businesses to reopen under social distancing guidelines, the Associated Press reports. Churches, however, are still limited to online services and similar efforts.