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Churches (Up to 100 People) Now Allowed to Open by California

State OKs any county to allow churches to reopen (up to 25% capacity) once local health department gives approval
By - posted 5/26/2020 No Comment

On Monday, The California Department of Public Health announced the statewide reopening of places of worship for religious services and in-store retail shopping.

Modifications are required to keep Californians safe and limit the spread of COVID-19. Subject to approval by county public health departments, counties can allow churches to reopen and no longer need state approval.

Churches / Places of Worship

Under the new guidance, places of worship can hold religious services and funerals that limit attendance to 25% of a building’s capacity – or up to 100 attendees, whichever is lower – upon approval by the county department of public health.

Houses of worship are encouraged frequently disinfect commonly used surfaces including doorknobs, toilets, handwashing facilities, pulpits and podiums, donation boxes or plates, altars, and pews and seating areas.

Churches are also encouraged to modify practices that are specific to particular faith traditions that might encourage the spread of COVID-19. Examples are discontinuing kissing of ritual objects, allowing rites to be performed by fewer people, avoiding the use of a common cup, offering communion in the hand instead of on the tongue, providing pre-packed communion items on chairs prior to service, etc., in accordance with CDC guidelines.

When will Bay Area houses of worship open? Please note, at the time of this article (May 26), we are not aware of any of the Bay Area counties having received approval from their pubic health departments to open churches yet

Read the new (PDF) guidance for religious services and cultural ceremonies.

To reopen for religious services and funerals, places of worship must: 

  • Establish and implement a COVID-19 prevention plan for every location, train staff on the plan, and regularly evaluate workplaces for compliance.
  • Train employees and volunteers on COVID-19, including how to prevent it from spreading and which underlying health conditions may make individuals more susceptible to contracting the virus.
  • Implement cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
  • Set physical distancing guidelines.
  • Recommend that staff and guests wear cloth face coverings, and screen staff for temperature and symptoms at the beginning of their shifts.
  • Set parameters around or consider eliminating singing and group recitations. These activities dramatically increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission. For this reason, congregants engaging in singing, particularly in the choir, and group recitation should wear face coverings at all times and when possible, these activities should be conducted outside with greater than 6-foot distancing.

Retail In-Store Shopping

Read the existing (PDF) guidance for retailers, previously allowed for counties approved to advance in the reopening process, now applies statewide. Retail can now open for in-store shopping statewide.

When will my county allow in-store retail?
Each county can now set their own timeline for in-store shopping without needing pre-approval from the state – subject to approval from county health departments.

The guidelines help reduce the risk for workers and customers. Retail does not include personal services such as hair salons, nail salons, and barbershops.

In 21 days, the Department of Public Health, in consultation with local departments of public health, will review and assess the impact of the religious service’s guidelines and provide further direction as part of a phased-in restoration of activities. This 21-day interval accounts for seven days for religious communities to prepare and reopen in addition to a 14-day incubation period of COVID-19.

Read the full press release.