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Los Angeles County reversed its ban against indoor religious services just days before Christmas following a Supreme Court ruling that sided with a southern California church that challenged the state’s coronavirus restrictions on places of worship.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced Saturday that it was modifying its order to allow places of worship to offer faith-based services both indoors and outdoors with mandatory physical distancing and face coverings over both the nose and mouth that must be worn at all times.
LA COUNTY SEEKING $20G IN FINES FROM CHURCH THAT OPENED AMID COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS
Under the revised order, places of worship must also assure that attendance does not exceed the number of people who can be accommodated while maintaining a physical distance of six feet between separate households, the county health department said.
Even after the Supreme Court decision, the public health department still "strongly recommends that places of worship continue to hold services outdoors, with physical distancing and the use of face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to congregants and to the entire community."
"Because Los Angeles County is experiencing an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, every effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to congregants and to the entire community is critical," county officials said in a statement.
CHURCH SAYS LOS ANGELES COUNTY PLANS TO TAKE PARKING LOT IN RETALIATION FOR SERVICES AMID COVID-19
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that New York state could not implement more stringent measures against religious organizations than they do against businesses under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s public health orders.
The scenario mirrored similar lawsuits in California, including one filed by Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom’s rules against indoor religious services, Fox 11 reported. Citing the decision, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California reversed their previous ruling in September which had upheld state restrictions only permitting outdoor services, KTLA reported.
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Another church, Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif., which is about 20 miles north of Los Angeles, had kept holding indoor services for months while continuing their legal fight against the county. In August, the county slapped the church with thousands of dollars in fines and reportedly threatened to evict the church from a lot it's used since the 1970s.
