On Monday, Governor Newsom and the California Department of Public Health released guidelines for churches in the state to begin the re-opening process. The guidelines are fundamentally in alignment with the reopening plans prepared by the Catholic dioceses in California and elsewhere in the world.
“The public celebration of the Holy Mass and other services will resume as quickly as local conditions and safety permits with proper physical distancing and appropriate precautions. Each (arch)diocese will decide for itself, in consultation with local health officials,” said the bishops in a published statement. (See www.cacatholic.org for a directory of dioceses and their re-opening announcements.)
The guidelines call for wearing masks, social distancing to continue and limit church attendance to 25 percent of maximum capacity, or 100 attendees, whichever number is lower. After 21 days, public health officials will evaluate the feasibility of increasing capacity.
Please contact your local diocese for the latest on your parish. Click here for a list of dioceses.