Californians will no longer be able to work out, worship or get a haircut in many of the state’s counties.
Governor Gavin Newsom ordered gyms, churches, and many other businesses to shut down effective immediately.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the governor does have the authority to shut down churches and curtail religious liberty. Whether or not Christians comply with the governor’s order remains to be seen.
“We want to follow the word of God,” said Rev. Phillip Jones, pastor of Crosspoint Baptist Church in Pasadena.
He urged Christians to prayerfully consider their plans and not to lash out at government leaders.
“Our plan is to continue to meet, but I want you to know I am seeking counsel from pastors, from attorneys, asking for input and advice,” he said.
There are reports that some churches are going to hold outdoor services — which could be permissible seeing how the order impacts “indoor operations.”
NEW: As #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, 30 counties will now be required to CLOSE INDOOR OPERATIONS for:
-Fitness Centers
-Places of Worship
-Offices for Non-Critical Sectors
-Personal Care Services
-Hair Salons and Barbershops
-Malls— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 13, 2020
All counties must close indoor operations in these sectors:
- Dine-in restaurants
- Wineries and tasting rooms
- Movie theaters
- Family entertainment centers (for example: bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages and arcades)
- Zoos and museums
- Card rooms
Additionally, bars, brewpubs, breweries, and pubs must close all operations both indoor and outdoor statewide, unless they are offering sit-down, outdoor dine-in meals. Alcohol can only be sold in the same transaction as a meal.
Counties that have remained on the County Monitoring List for 3 consecutive days will be required to shut down the following industries or activities unless they can be modified to operate outside or by pick-up.
- Fitness centers
- Worship services
- Protests
- Offices for non-essential sectors
- Personal care services, like nail salons, body waxing and tattoo parlors
- Hair salons and barbershops
- Malls
Los Angeles County went a step further and ordered non-critical offices to shut down.
To help slow the spread of #COVID19, the following sectors must stop indoor operations effective July 13. Learn more at https://t.co/nvJN7HPEk0 pic.twitter.com/cjdaAw5czr
— Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) July 13, 2020
Counties impacted:
Colusa
Contra Costa
Fresno
Glenn
Imperial
Kings
LA
Madera
Marin
Merced
Monterey
Napa
Orange
Placer
Riverside
Sacramento
San Benito
San Bernardino
San Diego
San Joaquin
Santa Barbara
Solano
Sonoma
Stanislaus
Sutter
Tulare
Yolo
Yuba
Ventura
*— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 13, 2020