In-person Masses continue amid surge in coronavirus cases

As coronavirus cases surge nationwide, states, including Maryland, are tightening restrictions and some public health officials are warning of a return to strict lockdowns that closed most public spaces, including churches in the early spring.

However, officials at the Archdiocese of Baltimore said while they would heed the advice of state public health officials, they were confident in-person Masses could continue under the current conditions.

“Our objective is to continue to try to maintain in-person Masses while doing it safely to ensure the health and welfare of all those in attendance,” Tom Alban, director of risk management for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, said Nov. 13.  

When in-person Masses resumed in June, the archdiocese put in place a number of safety measures including mandatory mask-wearing, social distancing and increased cleaning procedures. Enacting stricter measures than Maryland guidelines, all archdiocesan churches could celebrate Masses at up to 33 percent capacity.

During the summer months, Maryland, unlike some Southern states, experienced a sustained decline in cases but as the weather has cooled, cases have risen again. Health officials have emphasized that the colder temperatures and lower humidity provide ideal conditions for the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19. Also, many people are gathering more indoors rather than outside, where transmission is less likely.

The state health department has been reporting more than 1,000 new cases each day for the past several days. Maryland reported 1,840 new cases Nov. 16, and said nine people had died of the virus in the past 24 hours.

Officials said the archdiocese’s stricter rules have helped it adapt as some jurisdictions such as Baltimore City have tightened restrictions this month. In the city, capacity for places of worship is now set at 25 percent.

That slight change has not significantly affected services at the city’s Catholic churches, said Mary Ellen Russell, the archdiocese’s interim director of communications.

Alban said the archdiocese’s confidence in the safety of in-person Masses is based on its track record thus far.

“I can tell you to my knowledge … we have had no incidents where there’s any indication that there’s been any type of spread of the virus within our Masses,” Alban said on Nov. 13.

He said several parishioners and archdiocese personnel have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past few months, but measures, including rigorous contact tracing, have largely prevented community spread.

“In each and every case that has been reported to us, when we learn of the person testing positive, we speak with them,” Alban said. “Fortunately, through those interviews, there have been no indications that anybody had close contact (with other parishioners). That’s a large reason to date there are no indications of any type of spread occurring within the church.”

Many parishes in the archdiocese continue to offer livestreams of Masses. Officials encourage people who are sick or who have existing health issues making them more susceptible to COVID-19 to attend virtual Masses. For a list of services and times, visit https://bit.ly/3bqkxH9. Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is also broadcast on television at 11 a.m. on channel 24 (MyTV Baltimore): Comcast (24), Verizon (509), DirecTV/DISH (41).

In addition to safety procedures during the actual Mass, Alban said, archdiocesan officials have been hard at work to ensure better ventilation inside churches to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“We’ve encouraged parishes to look at a higher quality filtration through using better-grade filters on the system where and when possible to increase fresh airflow,” Alban said.

However, Alban emphasized that all these physical precautions will be fruitless if parishioners aren’t vigilant about personal choices such as mask-wearing and social distancing. He said while the cold weather is driving some of the increases, some of the surge may be due to fatigue.

“So many people just become so much more relaxed about adhering to the guidance. I just really want to encourage people that our guidance is the only way we can maintain some semblance of normalcy to maintain the Masses” Alban said. “Otherwise, we’re all going to be stuck in our homes again.”

Email Tim Swift at tswift@CatholicReview.org

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