Capacity Limits in California Churches No Longer Mandatory
The Rev. Arturo Corral (C) distributes communion during an outdoor mass marking the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the historic Our Lady Queen of Angels (La Placita) Church amid the COVID-19 pandemic on December 12, 2020 in Los Angeles, California Mario Tama/Getty Images

California has removed the capacity limits on the state's churches and other places of worship on Monday. California has implemented a limited number of worshippers in the churches in response to the coronavirus pandemic to prevent further spread of the deadly disease.

The state made the new mandate in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the COVID-19 public health mandates, according to an Associated Press report.

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that California could not enforce the coronavirus-related limits on home-based religious worship, prayer meetings, and Bible studies.

California mandated the limits on indoor church services in February, which replaced an all-out ban on indoor services implemented in most states due to high coronavirus cases.

Lifting the Limited Capacity of Worshippers in Churches

The Center for American Liberty applauded California's move to lift the limited capacity of worshippers in churches. The Center for American Liberty has filed a series of lawsuits against California Governor Gavin Newsom on behalf of the churches.

The Thomas More Society, which was also involved in some of the lawsuits that California churches filed to the Supreme Court, celebrated the new mandate, the Daily Wire reported.

"This is a huge win that God has provided for all people of Faith," said Paul Jonna, an attorney of Thomas More Society.

The new guidance noted that the location and capacity limits on worship places are not mandatory. However, it is strongly recommended.

Jenna Ellis, another attorney from Thomas More Society, told Daily Wire that no health crisis can ever justify suspending religious freedom or any of our most sacred rights in the country.

New Guidance on California Church Capacity

Although indoor gatherings were "strongly discouraged," the state's Department of Public Health guidelines still advised limiting the number of people inside a church or building.

Churches and cultural ceremonies in California followed the previous guidelines, which segment these places based on the state's color-coded tier system, according to a KRON4 report.

The tier system categorizes places as purple, red, orange, and yellow, which symbolizes the number of people entering such sites. When a community is placed under the purple tier, indoor activities are strongly discouraged but are limited to 25 percent capacity. The red tier allows 25 percent of the venue's capacity to enter, while orange and yellow allow 50 percent capacity.

Activities such as singing, chanting, and playing wind instruments also have different guidelines depending on the venue's color tier. For example, if a church is in a community with purple tier, people engaged in singing, chanting, and playing of wind instrument must always wear face masks.

Performers under the said tier must also maintain at least 12 feet of physical distance from other performers and 24 feet of distance from visitors. Only 10 performers are allowed to sing, chant, and play wind instruments.

The lifting of the limited capacity in churches follows the significant decrease of infection rate in California, alongside the surge of vaccination rates.

California announced that the changes would take effect on Thursday. It would also include changes in indoor concerts and theatre performances.

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