WATCH: Bill de Blasio Says Churches And Synagogues Holding Services During Quarantine Could Be PERMANENTLY Closed

Scratch a leftist, find a tyrant.

New York is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases which is no surprise considering NYC is so densely populated. To try to “flatten the curve” (ie. reduce the spread of the virus) they have taken some extreme measures like issuing a “shelter in place” order, banning gatherings of any size, and shutting down everything that is not deemed an “essential service.” Religious services have been included in that ban of gatherings.

On Friday, with both Passover and Easter right around the corner, Mayor Bill de Blasio has issued a severe warning to synagogues and churches–keep your doors shut or the city will do it for you and that closure might be permanent.

“A small number of religious communities, specific churches and specific synagogues are unfortunately not paying attention to this guidance even though it’s so widespread,” de Blasio, a Democrat, said at a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak…

…”I want to say to all those who are preparing for the potential of religious services this weekend: If you go to your synagogue, if you go to your church and attempt to hold services after having been told so often not to, our enforcement agents will have no choice but to shut down those services,” he added…

…De Blasio promised to “take additional action up to the point of fines and potentially closing the building permanently,” if worshippers did not comply.

Source: Fox News

https://twitter.com/matthewschmitz/status/1244339404753289216?s=20

Fascinating how church services are non-essential during a crisis but access to abortion has been deemed essential.

This is an outrageous overreach by a man who describes himself as “spiritual but not religious” to permanently shut the doors of churches and synagogues. (Notice that no other religious groups were mentioned.)

It’s also an interesting take when there were lots of people ignoring the stay at home order and heading down to New York Harbor to watch the USNS Comfort. Mayor de Blasio had warned New Yorkers that they may face $500 fines for not adhering to social distancing orders while in public.

Here’s a video of the crowds that gathered on Monday:

Clearly, churches and synagogues should do all that they can to reduce the spread of coronavirus, and with the way that the spread is in New York it does seem to make sense (to me) to find alternatives rather than physical gathering for the time being. Yes, I know, there are certainly some issues with the First Amendment, but we are in unprecedented times with a virus that is spreading rapidly, especially in NYC. We have technology that allows us to “gather” and worship together online.

That said, if there are some churches and synagogues that are violating the ban on gatherings, it certainly seems like an aggressive overreach by the Mayor to permanently lock their doors.

Related:

• Florida Pastor Arrested And Charged For Disregarding State Mandate Forbidding Church Attendance
• Thousands Sign Petition To Have Pastor ARRESTED For Violating State Ban On Large Gatherings