Gov. Inslee details how Washington state‘s religious congregations can begin to meet
Washington state’s places of worship can start to hold services again with restrictions that are laid out in new coronavirus safety guidelines, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday, May 27, at a statewide briefing.
For the 11 counties that remain in Phase 1 of the state’s phased approach to reopening and easing restrictions, in-person outdoor religious services can be held on an organization’s property or immediately next to it, with up to 100 people. Services can be held multiple times a day, Inslee said.
Attendees are required to follow physical distancing guidelines and wear face masks.
For the 24 counties that are in or have been approved to move into Phase 2, indoor religious services can be held at 25% capacity, or with up to 50 people, whichever is less, Inslee announced. These services can happen multiple times a day, Inslee said.
The churches and houses of faith are expected to have members follow social distancing guidelines inside when attending services, have members wear face masks, clean and sanitize areas frequently, provide personal protective equipment to staff and provide employee education on how to self-screen for symptoms.
In-home faith services or counseling at a person’s home can be held with five people or fewer, excluding religious staff. If people are not from the same household, masks are encouraged, Inslee’s guidelines state.
All worship services, religious study classes, religious ceremonies, religious holiday celebrations and religious weddings and funerals can also resume services following Inslee’s safety guidelines. There is no limit on the number of these events that can be held throughout a single day, Inslee said.
“We know that in many Washingtonians, their way is the way of the spirit. We know that people treasure religious gatherings, so this has been a difficult issue about how we simultaneously defeat this virus and maintain our congregations,” Inslee said. “As I’ve said before, this crisis may affect our physical connections, but we should not allow it to stop our emotional connections.”
Singing in choirs is also allowed, but participants are required to wear face masks. Inslee said science has shown that as people project their voices louder, the virus can travel farther.
Inslee said he is also encouraging congregations to maintain a voluntary log of attendees for several weeks. That way if an outbreak occurs, such as the one that happened at the Skagit County choir practice, people who have been exposed can protect themselves and their families as soon as possible from the coronavirus, Inslee said.
“I think it’s common to the texts of all faiths that we have an obligation to care for one another,” he said.
Inslee said he was heartened to see the ways in which many religious congregations have remained emotionally connected during the COVID-19 pandemic and how organizations have been active in helping their neighbors, not just those in their congregations.
He encouraged congregations that have been creative and successful in holding services virtually throughout the pandemic to continue to do so if possible.
Inslee said that his office has not considered guidelines for outside graduation ceremonies, and that the guidelines for allowing religious services and ceremonies were considered because free exercise of religion is constitutionally protected. The unique constitutional position deserved an extra degree of acuity, Inslee said.
The counties that are in Phase 2 as of Wednesday are Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Cowlitz, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Pacific, Pend Orielle, San Juan, Skamania, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla and Whitman.
Three counties, Clallam, Kitsap and Klickitat, are eligible to apply for a variance to move into Phase 2, and Clark County’s application is on pause due to an outbreak investigation.
The 11 counties that remain in Phase 1 are Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King, Pierce, Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, Yakima, Benton and Franklin.
The state is expected to stay in every phase for a minimum of three weeks, which allows public health expert time to monitor the impacts of reopening.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Gov. Inslee details how Washington state‘s religious congregations can begin to meet."
