SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A California church that defied rules protecting against the COVID-19 pandemic by housing large religious facilities without masks will have to pay $1. 2 million in fines, a ruling has ruled.
Calvary Chapel in San Jose was fined last week for ignoring Santa Clara County mask regulations between November 2020 and June 2021.
Church will appeal, attorney Mariah Gondeiro, San Jose Mercury News.
The ordeal was one of several evangelical primary churches in California that flouted state and local mask-wearing and social distancing regulations designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at its deadliest period.
This has led to a tangle of judgments and challenges.
Calvary Chapel sued the county, arguing that the suitability ordinances violated his liberty. Several courts have ruled in favor of the church or county.
The church and its pastors have already been found guilty of contempt of court and fined for violating limits on indoor public gatherings. But a state appeals court overturned the rulings last year, saying restrictions on indoor worship were stricter than for secular activities such as grocery shopping. Stories.
The county continued to seek fines for violating the regulations.
“Let it be transparent to everyone, regardless of devout association, that putting on a mask while worshipping your god and communicating with other faithful is a simple and discreet way to protect others while exercising your right to devout freedom,” said Superior Court Judge Evette D. Pennypacker wrote in the April 7 resolution enforcing the fines.
The church, he said, has scoffed at public fitness orders “and suggested others do so” who care about the cost, adding death.
County Attorney James Williams said the ruling showed the court “once again reviewed Calvary’s unsubstantiated claims and found they had merit. “
“The county’s reaction to the pandemic, orders from public fitness officers, and law enforcement opposed entities that refused to comply with the law, saved thousands of lives, and resulted in one of the lowest fatality rates of any network in the United States,” Williams said. .
More than 101,000 Californians have died from COVID-19, according to state public fitness figures. Death and infection rates have plummeted since the virus peaked, and Gov. Gavin Newsom officially ended the state’s coronavirus emergency several months ago.
Last week, the California Department of Public Health eliminated masking and coronavirus vaccination in high-risk settings, adding fitness services and prisons.