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In reply to the discussion: Trump Calls On Governors To Reopen Houses Of Worship [View all]wnylib
(21,146 posts)This whole thing is about energizing the base and presenting the image of himself as a patriotic defender of constitutional rights. This is the 2020 equivalent of the 2016 campaign slogan to "build that wall." The wall was a symbol of physically defending the country from "the other " The open churches is a symbol of religious rights and he will use it to vilify Dems as godless tyrants.
If it backfires because of increased spread through the churches and increased deaths, he will be toast. There will be no coming back from that because it will be clear cut and obvious to all after he has made such an issue over it, that he encouraged and enabled the spread. So he is desperate enough to take that risk.
Fot the sake of everyone, I hope that there are not new clusters breaking out from open churches. But I am very afraid that there will be.
I have heard people compare open retail stores to opening the churches. They don't recognize the differences. In a store, you pass by people. Even in line, there is a 6 foot distance.
In churches, you are stationary, seated close to people in an enclosed space. An infected person can spread the virus farther through a loud voice, e.g. singing. Just the act of seating yourself in a pew means touching shared surfaces by sliding along the same bench as other people, while often grasping the back of the one ahead of you for balance support. Or stepping over someone to leave if necessary.
There are the hymn books that everyone touches and the bulletins being passed out to people. Plus passing of the collection plate. In Catholic churches, there is the shared holy water. In all Christian churches, there is communion
which means passing bread (or wafers) and wine or juice out to everyone, either in their seats or by coming forward and brushing against others in the process.
Then there is the custom of sharing the peace. It means turning to the people around you and grasping their hand or shoulder, or hugging them, and speaking, face to face, to say, "Peace be with you." In most churches, this extends to crossing the aisles to greet friends, too, so that everyone is milling around in close contact for a few minutes.
In other words, without some BIG changes in how services are conducted, churches would become incubators for viral infection and spread.
Having never attended services in a mosque or synagogue, I can't speak for them, but I expect there are some similarities in closeness of people.