WASHINGTON: President Trump called on governors Friday to let churches and other houses of worship in their states reopen in time for Memorial Day weekend, threatening to “override” them if they refuse even as the US coronavirus death toll surged above 95,000, foreign media reported.
In a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, Trump said he had directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its coronavirus guidelines so that houses of worship are deemed “essential.”
“Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics essential but left out churches and houses of worship. It is not right,” Trump said, reading from prepared remarks.
The president continued, “The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now, for this weekend. If they don’t do it, I will override the governors. In America, we need more prayer, not less.”
Without taking questions, Trump then left the room.
Trump’s override threat is highly dubious and likely not possible, since governors have wide discretion in how to run their states and CDC guidelines aren’t mandatory.
The new houses of worship directive was not immediately released, though it is expected to echo CDC recommendations that 6 feet of social distancing be maintained.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who stayed behind after Trump dipped out of the room, repeatedly refused to name the authority the president supposedly has to overrule a governor’s decision to keep houses of worship closed in the middle of a respiratory pandemic.
Instead, McEnany attacked reporters for asking her about the alleged authority. “Boy, it’s interesting to be in a room that desperately wants to seem to see these churches and houses of worship stay closed,” McEnany said.
Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, also remained in the room after Trump left.
Contrary to McEnany, Birx broke with Trump on the Bible-thumping move and said states and localities should make up their own minds as it relates to houses of worship — with safety being the first priority.
“I really firmly believe a knowledgeable community can really make judgments for themselves,” Birx said. “I think each one of our leaders in the community can be in touch with local departments to communicate to their congregants.”
If houses of worship reopen, Birx added, social distancing must be maintained since the virus could spread like wildfire in a confined setting like a church.
“There is a way for us to work together to have social distancing and safety for people so we decrease the amount of exposure anyone would have to asymptomatic people,” she said.
Trump’s church announcement came as the confirmed US coronavirus death toll climbed above 95,500, with the depressing count soaring higher by the hour.In New York, Gov. Cuomo has already cleared the way for religious gatherings to start up again, though no more than 10 people are allowed in a house of worship at a time.
Based on that directive, the Catholic Archdiocese of New York released a plan this week for a phased reopening of religious services that begins with the resumption of private prayer and confessions, followed by the celebration of baptisms and marriages, and eventually envisions the distribution of weekday Communion outside Mass, followed by limited daily and funeral Masses.
Echoing Trump, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, briefing reporters on the plan Thursday, described worship as “essential services for the well-being of our community.
Pivoting away from the new worshipping guidelines, Birx was asked at the White House about a new study from the medical journal Lancet finding that hydroxychloroquine can greatly increase the risk of death in COVID-19 patients.
“I’ll tell you what I take home from the Lancet study and I hope everyone here does: It clearly shows that comorbidity that puts individuals at more risk,” Birx said.
Trump, who’s 73 and has elevated cholesterol levels, claims he’s been popping hydroxychloroquine pills preventatively for coronavirus for the past two weeks despite widespread safety concerns and a directive from the Food and Drug Administration saying the drug should not be administered outside a hospital setting.
Careful not to explicitly criticize the president, Birx said the FDA guidelines for hydroxychloroquine have been “very clear.”
Earlier this week, Trump pretended like the FDA guidance didn’t exist, telling a reporter “that’s not what I was told” when she referenced that the directive.
Trump has also insisted that hydroxychloroquine “does not harm you,” even though several studies have found the drug can kill coronavirus patients.
