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Tags: church | religious | gatherings | coronavirus

Florida Gov. DeSantis Reverses Course, Advises Against Church Gatherings

governor desantis sits and listens
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

By    |   Monday, 06 April 2020 07:16 PM EDT

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who days ago labeled in-person church services as “essential,” is now advising against “packed” religious gatherings, The Washington Times reports.

DeSantis issued a statewide stay-at-home order last Wednesday, reversing course after weeks of rejecting calls to issue such a directive.   

“We want people during this time to be spiritually together, but to remain socially distant,” DeSantis said during a roundtable event Monday. 

“Please keep God close, but please keep COVID-19 away,” he added. 

DeSantis also praised “innovative” church gatherings ahead of Easter.

“I think that they’ve been innovative, and I think that will ultimately be something that matters a lot to people,” he said. “But we also pointed out the risk of having a packed gathering right now, given what we’re going through.”

Florida has over 13,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 254 deaths. There are now more than 1.3 million cases worldwide, with almost 74,000 deaths.

DeSantis was criticized extensively for not issuing a stay-at-home order sooner, but the governor often used Trump and the federal government to defend his actions. His directive made exemptions for “essential” activities including attending religious services in churches, houses of worship and synagogues.

Solange Reyner

Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.

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Politics
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who days ago labeled in-person church services as "essential," is now advising against "packed" religious gatherings, The Washington Times reports....
church, religious, gatherings, coronavirus
194
2020-16-06
Monday, 06 April 2020 07:16 PM
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