Are churches open during the coronavirus pandemic?

While many places have been ordered to close under Pennsylvania’s efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic, churches, mosques, and synagogues are allowed to stay open. However, the stay-at-home-order states, “Individuals should not gather in religious buildings or homes for services or celebrations until the stay-at-home order is lifted,” and Gov. Tom Wolf is encouraging religious leaders to find alternatives to in-person gatherings.

It can be confusing.

“I know that we’re nearing several holidays, including major religious holidays like Easter and Passover,” Wolf said in a recent news release. “As a person of faith, I understand how important it is to worship, and that congregating, whether for a service or seder dinner, can be at the very core of one’s faith. But I also understand how important it is to help neighbors, and the best way to help our neighbors right now is not by congregating. It’s by staying at home.”

With Passover underway and Easter approaching, most religious institutions have chosen to remain closed. Even if yours is open, health experts advise you not to go.

“While a lot of churches have been cognizant about steps like removing holy water to prevent transmitting the disease, the environment is not conducive to social distancing — we’re talking to one another, touching the pews, worshipping together,” said Krys Johnson, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at Temple University. “Church is often also where we see our elders, and those are the people we need to be protecting the most.”

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Some places of worship are finding creative ways to hold services. Members of congregations in Newville, Pa., west of Harrisburg, for example, are pulling up every Sunday for “Church at the Drive-In,” held at the Cumberland Drive-In Theater. Traffic is directed to ensure that cars and churchgoers maintain social distancing.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia called off public Masses and services for Holy Week and Easter. But every Sunday at 11 a.m., individuals can go online for Mass. It’s streamed live from the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul through the video platform Vimeo. Sunday’s Easter service will also be shown on WHYY-TV.

The Easter Mass at the basilica typically draws 1,000 people, and this year’s will be the first for new Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez.

Many other Catholic churches are following suit with livestreams, as are local religious organizations of every faith. Yet a few congregations are carrying on as usual. Greater Exodus Baptist Church on North Broad Street is one of them.

Johnson strongly urged its members to stay at home and take advantage of the church’s livestreaming services via Facebook, YouTube, and its website. If your place of worship remains open, the advice remains the same.

Here’s why. “While you might feel fine and show up, a large proportion of people with coronavirus are asymptomatic and can still spread the disease — so you can affect a lot of people in just one church service,” said Johnson.

Asymptomatic means people aren’t showing symptoms, but still carry and transmit the virus. It’s a big part of why we’ve been advised to stay home. Even if we don’t feel sick, we can still infect others.