‘Spiritually close but socially distant’: Gov. DeSantis hosannas in-person Easter worship

Safer at home ... unless going to church.

For those looking for a church or synagogue service on this Holy weekend, the Governor re-upped his blessing Thursday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, in preamble remarks to a COVID-19 Education Meeting, again sided with those who want to attend church over those who worry that the Sabbath could beget super spreaders.

“We have said repeatedly that we want people to be spiritually together, but socially distanced,” the first-term Republican said in the Cabinet room at the state Capitol.

“As you keep God close,” DeSantis advised, “during these important religious days, make sure you continue to keep COVID-19 away.”

Thursday’s words, issued without prompting from a member of the media, reaffirmed guidance the Governor had given last week exempting churches, synagogues, and other places of worship.

DeSantis issued a new order clarifying and amending the original one last week following reports, including one from Florida Politics, that local ordinances with more restrictive language would not be preempted.

That specifically pertains to a religious exemption that allows churches to continue holding services even if those congregations exceed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guideline on social distancing that limits gatherings to 10 or fewer individuals.

DeSantis’ updated order removes language that provided an exception for local ordinances that went beyond the state order.

Those more restrictive local measures, which have been approved in a host of Florida cities and counties, will no longer be valid.

That includes restrictions on church services.

Whether religious observances stand in the way of flattening the curve remains to be seen, evidence from elsewhere suggests that churches can be consecratory crucibles of community spread.

In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly told media Wednesday that churches had contributed to multiple clusters of COVID-19 positivity.

Kansas City’s KCTV noted that a Church of God conference in that city led to 18 attendees being hospitalized, with three of them passing away from the disease.

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Florida Politics’ Janelle Irwin Taylor contributed to this post.