Churches in Massachusetts reopened officially on Monday after having been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but are only allowed to welcome 40 percent of their buildings' maximum capacity, according to mandatory safety standards released by Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker Sunday.
The occupant count includes all people inside the church, including attendees and staff, and people attending worship services who are not part of the same immediate household must be at least 6 feet apart, Breitbart News reports about the rules.
Further, all church occupants must wear masks, and in churches where there is fixed seating such as pews, rows must be blocked off and kept empty to allow for sufficient distancing, the guidelines state.
The standards also recommend churches use online signup to more easily monitor how many people will be attending services, and are encouraged to use tape or other visual distancing markings to keep people six feet apart, and to use floor markings that will allow one-way aisles.
The new standards forbid that any services or socializing outside normal worship services be offered, including coffee hours or child care services, but food pantry collections are allowed.
Meanwhile, the NewBostonPost is reporting that Boston-area Catholics are asking Cardinal Sean O'Malley to reopen churches after he and the state's Catholic bishops banned public Masses back in March.
“The Archdiocese currently has a team of priests, deacons, and the laity working with parishes to devise a phased-in plan for resumption of public Masses as soon as it is determined safe," Terrence Donilon, Archdiocese of Boston spokesman, said.