Hours after the federal Justice Department warned Nevada that its coronavirus restrictions on houses of worship were too strict, Gov. Steve Sisolak changed them late Tuesday, allowing services of up to 50 people.
The Democrat said as his state moves into Phase 2 of reopening, he still encourages online services. But he said as of Friday religious establishments can begin to meet in person, as long as they follow social distancing and adhere to maximum occupancy rules.
Eric Dreiband, the U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights, and the U.S. attorney for Nevada said the governor made the right call.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Governor as we work to balance civil liberties and public safety through the process of reopening,” they said in a joint statement.
They had cuationed Mr. Sisolak in a letter Monday that his policy showed “unequal treatment of places of worship.”
Nevada is the latest jurisdiction to act after a federal warning.
Attorney General William P. Barr has tasked his department with policing shutdown orders, saying that while they may have been needed on an emergency basis at the beginning of the pandemic, they are not a long-term solution when they clash with core constitutional rights.
He said some of the stricter shelter-in-place orders were akin to house arrest.
And his department has been particularly zealous about challenging orders that treat houses of worship more harshly than business establishments.
In Nevada, Mr. Sisolak’s Phase 1 reopening had allowed restaurants and retail stores to open at 50% capacity, and barber shops and salons to reopen without a numerical limit on customers.
But houses of worship were still limited to a maximum of 10 persons, under Mr. Sisolak’s original shutdown order.
Even as he relaxed his rules, Mr. Sisolak had a specific caution for religious leaders that he didn’t have for other businesses.
“Our medical experts advise that bringing together people from different households in a confined space for extended periods of time greatly increases the likelihood of spreading COVID-19. For these reasons, I strongly urge places of worship continue to provide online or virtual services as much as possible to protect those they serve, especially those who are among our vulnerable populations,” he said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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