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Frequently Asked Questions - Religious Facilities

Religious services (indoor and outdoor)
Cleaning and disinfecting
COVID-19 health information
Face coverings/masks

Religious Services (Indoor and Outdoor)

What are considered Religious Facilities?

Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other similar Religious Facilities of any faith. Religious Facilities are also known as Houses of Worship.

What is considered a household?

A household is any number of people who live together in the same home. A household can be composed of one or more persons.

How is the gathering size permitted for an indoor religious service determined?

Divide the total square footage of the worship space by 50.

That sets the limit for the total number of individuals that can be in the space at a given time.
The total number of individuals in the worship space cannot exceed 25% of the permitted occupancy of the worship space, including faith leaders, volunteers, and congregants.

Examples:

The Religious Facility worship space is 5,000 square feet with a permitted occupancy of 400. The gathering size is 100.
- Total square footage divided by 50: 5,000/50 = 100 total number of individuals that can be in the space at a given time.
- 100 does not exceed 25% of the permitted occupancy of the worship space (400 x 25% = 100).
The Religious Facility worship space is 2,500 square feet with a permitted occupancy of 200. The gathering size is 50.
- Total square footage divided by 50: 2,500/50 = 50 total number of individuals that can be in the space at a given time.
- 50 does not exceed 25% of the permitted occupancy of the worship space (200 x 25% = 50).

The Governor's guidance on reopening houses of worship were by percent of capacity. Why is the county different?

Facility capacities are set by the Fire Marshall and are based on ingress/egress and the ability to safely and effectively evacuate in an emergency, so basing guidance on a percentage of capacity does not translate well to protecting against communicable diseases.

How is the gathering size permitted for an outdoor religious service determined?

Unless a Letter of Approval from the Department of Health and Human Services is obtained, the number of outdoor service participants cannot exceed 25 participants. Submit a request for a Letter of Approval.

What physical distancing must be maintained during religious services?

All four of these spacing guidelines must be adhered to:

Seating must be marked to reflect 6 feet of social distance between individuals that are not a part of the same household;
For facilities with fixed seating or pews, every other row must remain empty and marked off to prohibit seating;
Individuals that are not a part of the same household must maintain 6 feet of social distance from the point of entry into the facility through their exit from the facility; and
The only exceptions are where the core activity or safety require shorter distance (for example, pallbearers).

What physical distancing is required in restrooms?

The same physical distancing requirements as other segments of the Religious Facility are required in restrooms.

In addition, surfaces in restrooms should be wiped down with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency approved cleaners between each religious service.

What should a Religious Facility do if they learn that a person who attended or participated in a religious ceremony is diagnosed with or develops symptoms consistent with COVID-19?

The Religious Facility must notify Montgomery County Disease Control at 240-777-1755 as soon as possible.

Can a congregant or volunteer by Montgomery County law sue a Religious Facility for contracting COVID-19?

The short answer is, yes, anyone may sue an establishment for any number of reasons.

A Religious Facility should be able to defend against such claims by following the Montgomery County Executive Orders, the Health Officer’s Directives on masks, and any Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Maryland Department of Health guidance.

Religious Facilities should consult with appropriate legal counsel for guidance on this matter.

How frequently must cleaning occur between religious services?

Restrooms and high contact surfaces including seats, door handles, and other physical implements utilized in the conduct of religious services must be cleaned between use as much as possible or at least between each religious service using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency approved disinfectants.

Who should wear a face covering/mask during religious services?

Face coverings/masks should be worn by all individuals participating in a religious service inside the Religious Facility. This includes faith leaders, volunteers, and congregants.

Should a speaker wear a face covering/mask while speaking?

Yes. When speaking inside the Religious Facility and outdoors when physical distancing is not possible, a speaker should wear a face covering, even if a face shield or other barrier such as plexiglass is between the individual and the congregants.

Are singing or call-and-response activities recommended during religious services?

Choirs and congregational singing are among the most dangerous activities because they generate a larger number of infectious aerosol particles over an extended period of time.

Singing during services should be avoided and replaced with recorded music or live instrumental music.

If singing or recitation is an important part of a service, Religious Facilities could limit those activities to one individual—for example, a soloist or cantor—who is further distanced from the rest of the congregation. Where necessary by ritual, any louder utterances, chanting, or singing must involve distances of 12 feet or more between participants. Another option includes remote viewing of the individual through video streaming.

In cases where the individual faces away from the congregation, such as in Islamic prayer, no such barrier is necessary.

Wind and brass instruments should similarly be avoided until more research can determine their safety. A preliminary study suggests that some of these instruments may produce aerosol droplets in a similar fashion to singing.

Should a singer wear a face covering/mask while singing?

Yes. While singing inside the Religious Facility and outdoors when physical distancing is not possible, a singer should wear a face covering, even if a face shield or other barrier such as plexiglass is between the individual and the congregants.

What is the recommended time frame between worship services?

The time between services is determined by the size of the Religious Facility and the gathering size for each service.

Enough time should be allowed after each service for the congregants to exit the facility, and for restrooms and high contact surfaces including seats, door handles, and other physical implements utilized in the conduct of faith to be cleaned using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency approved disinfectants.

Situations where people gather in the lobby or common areas where distancing requirements are difficult to maintain should be avoided.

What is the guidance on transporting congregants that are not in your household to church in your personal vehicle?

The same precautions should be followed as when riding in any vehicle with non-household members, i.e., wearing of face coverings, maintaining safe distance between passengers as much as possible, allowing fresh outside air to circulate through the vehicle, proper cleaning/disinfecting of the vehicle before and after the transport, etc.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

What are the cleaning and disinfecting requirements for Religious Facilities?

Restrooms and high-contact surfaces including seats, door handles, and other physical implements utilized in the conduct of faith must be cleaned between use as much as possible or at least between each religious service using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency approved disinfectants.

What are the cleaning and disinfecting requirements for bathrooms?

The same cleaning and disinfecting requirements as other segments of the Religious Facility are required in restrooms. Use Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency approved disinfectants.

Where can I find information on cleaning and disinfecting?

See guidance on

Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Disinfectants for Coronavirus (COVID-19), US Environmental Protection Agency

Where can I find information on indoor air quality and COVID-19?

See guidance on

Building ventiliation, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
COVID-19 information, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
Indoor Air and Coronavirus (COVID-19), US Environmental Protection Agency

COVID-19 Health Information

Where can I find health information about COVID-19?

Your Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Coronavirus Self-Checker, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

What are common symptoms of COVID-19?

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

What should I do if I or a member of my household exhibits symptoms of COVID-19?

Contact your healthcare provider. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or bluish lips or face), get emergency medical care immediately. If you are symptomatic and need help in finding testing, please call the Testing Helpline at 240-777-1755. The Helpline is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week.

Face Coverings/Masks

Where can I find the Montgomery County requirements for face coverings?

See Montgomery County mask guidance and #MaskUpMoCo campaign information.

What is a mask?

A mask is a covering that fully covers your nose, mouth, and chin, and is secured to your head. Examples include scarves and bandanas.

Who must wear a mask?

Everyone must wear a mask unless they are:

children under the age of two or unless there is a developmental or physical reason why the child should not.
someone has a health condition or disability that makes it difficult to wear a mask.

When must a mask be worn?

A mask must be worn whenever a person is in public. This includes indoors at any location where members of the public are generally permitted, including Religious Facilities and services. And, outdoors, when physical distancing is not possible.

General Information

Where can I find information about COVID-19 contact tracing?

See information about the covidLINK program, part of the Maryland Department of Health’s Contact Tracing program.

“Contact tracing is the process of identifying people who may have come into contact with an individual with an infectious disease, in this case COVID-19. The contact tracer reaches out by phone to someone who has tested positive for the virus to determine their whereabouts and close contacts for the two-week period of time when they may have been infectious. Maryland has also contracted with NORC at the University of Chicago, one of the largest independent social research organizations in the United States, to assist in contact tracing efforts.”

Where can I find Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 data, information, and resources?

See "Coronavirus (COVID-19)", from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Where can I find Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 information for Religious Facilities?

See "Community and Faith-Based Organizations", from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How do I receive newsletters and updates from the Faith Community Advisory Council?

Visit the Faith Community Advisory Council (FCAC) website , and sign up for the newsletter.

Contact Rev. Mansfield "Kasey" Kaseman (FCAC, and Interfaith Community Liaison) at Mansfield.Kaseman@montgomerycountymd.gov
Contact Yasmine Eleazar at Yasmine.Eleazar@montgomerycountymd.gov

Is there a penalty if guidelines are not followed? Who is responsible for the penalty if the members of the congregation are refusing to follow guidance?

Regarding enforcement, the County's first priority is education. We will work collaboratively to answer questions and provide guidance. Submit inquiries for clarification for activities allowable under the Executive Order.

For enforcement issues, report a violation. Public Health Services Licensure and Regulatory Services will follow up.