FROM CHURCHLEADERS:
Police in Western Australia are facing backlash after an officer interrupted mass to check that people were wearing masks in church and enforce compliance with the local mask mandate.
Following a tip about mask-less worshipers, police entered St. Bernadette’s Glendalough Catholic Church in the Perth suburb of Mount Hawthorn last Thursday evening. The priest, who was in the middle of the liturgy, watched as the officer instructed four parishioners to put on face coverings. A fifth person without a mask showed an exemption letter.
Aussie Worshipers Shocked as Police Interrupt Church for a Mask Check
FROM CBN: Mask mandates in schools have proven to be among the most contentious debates of the pandemic. Now as cases drop, so are masks in certain states. Many parents are welcoming the new mask-free policies, while others aren’t so happy. Here’s what you need to know.
FGGAM got this news release yesterday:
Four blue-state governors said Monday they plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions within weeks, most prominently by removing mask mandates in classrooms, a sign of a new pandemic phase tied to plummeting infection rates in the United States.
New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut and Oregon on Monday announced that mask directives affecting schools and students — among the most contentious virus-related requirements — will be phased out. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) (pictured below) said the mask rollback in his state will go into effect on March 7. Murphy, who narrowly won reelection in November, said declining numbers of confirmed infections and hospitalizations are behind the decision.
“This is a huge step back to normalcy for our kids,” Murphy said, adding that school districts can choose to keep mask mandates in place. “We are not going to manage COVID to zero. We have to learn how to live with COVID as we move from a pandemic to an endemic phase of this virus” (NJ.com).
On Monday, New Jersey recorded its lowest single-day case total since Thanksgiving.
In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) said the mask directive for students in his state will be rescinded on Feb. 28. Oregon and Delaware both will keep the classroom mandate in place through the end of March. Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) announced that his state’s indoor mask mandate will expire on Friday.
NJ.com: New Jersey plans to end its school mask mandate and parents have “very mixed feelings.”
Not all states are ready to follow suit. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is ending the indoor mask requirement for vaccinated individuals on Feb. 15 but will keep the mask directive in effect for schools (The Associated Press). New York Gov. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said during an appearance in Kingston, N.Y., that she was still monitoring the situation, pointing out that the mandate in neighboring New Jersey would not be lifted for another month.
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This whole mess we are in IS ENOUGH FOR ME TO SCREAM! Screaming for COMMON SENSE! I can see now until this all ends, Weekly SCREAM NIGHTS at Churches!!!???!!! So many people are having very high anxiety! PRAY! PRAY! Gotta get back to normal.. or whatever that new normal will be!
I shout JESUS!!! JESUS!!! When I spoke to Rob Vanderslice’s Bible study group in Albuquerque last month, they shouted JESUS! JESUS! JESUS! JESUS at the end! What a fired up group for JESUS!
JESUS is always the answer!
FROM THE CHRISTIAN POST:
A church in North Carolina recently hosted a “scream night,” allowing people to literally scream about their frustrations, especially regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Duke Memorial United Methodist Church of Durham held the event on Saturday evening, with around a dozen people in attendance, raising their voices over a host of issues.
The Rev. Laura Barnard Crosskey, the event organizer and a licensed psychologist, told The Christian Post that the church hosted the “scream night” because “our emotions have been building up over the last two years as many of us have been stuck at home without our normal outlets that let our emotions move through our bodies and our brains.”
North Carolina church hosts ‘scream night’ for people frustrated with pandemic