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Dozens of LifeAustin parishioners publicly worship for the first time in six weeks
Parishioners gathered inside the LifeAustin amphitheater on Sunday to publicly worship for the first time in six weeks after Texas Gov. Greg Abbot loosened rules about social distancing and stay-at-home orders amid the pandemic.
Abbot announced last week that church congregations could once again come together after he deemed them ‘essential’ last Monday, and members of the Life Family church quickly took up his offer.
Dozens of residents flocked to the LifeAustin amphitheater where they attempted public health guidelines by wearing face masks throughout the service.
Photos from Sunday show people crowded into the 1,500 seat amphitheater, with some church goers appearing to be closer than the recommended six feet apart.
Dozens of church goers publicly attended a service at the LifeAustin amphitheater for the first time in six weeks as Texas phased out another stay-at-home guideline implemented during the coronavirus pandemic
Pictured: a sign outside of the LifeAustin amphitheater urged people to practice social distancing and read: ‘We all love to shake hands and hug, but for now just wave and say hello to others from a distance’
Several parishioners who attended wore face masks to protect from coronavirus, but very few were pictured wearing gloves and some appeared to flout social distancing guidelines
Although Gov. Abbott deemed churches ‘essential’ early into stay-at-home orders, many congregations have been hesitant to meet again as cases in Texas grow to around 30,500
A sign places out front urged people to remember social distancing rules. It read: ‘We all love to shake hands and hug, but for now just wave and say hello to others from a distance.’
Several other Texas churches kept their doors closed this Sunday, but Pastor Randy Phillips of LifeAustin chapel made the difficult decision that it was time to return.
Phillips told CBS Austin: ‘It was anguishing. If we did the wrong thing, if we make a mistake, how tragic it could be for the community — and so it was with a lot of trepidation, a lot of counsel, a lot of prayer that we made this decision.’
Texas has recorded more than 30,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 14,800 deaths.
Pastor Randy Phillips (pictured): ‘f we did the wrong thing, if we make a mistake, how tragic it could be for the community — and so it was with a lot of trepidation, a lot of counsel, a lot of prayer that we made this decision’
Pictured: a Texas family sits outside the LifeAustin amphitheater on Sunday as dozens of others residents attended the Sunday Service permitted under Gov. Abbott’s guidelines
Westerfield: ‘The church exists whether people come to a building or not. Apostle Paul said it this way. All things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial
Phillips added that people were anticipating the Sunday service, saying: ‘We may have to add a service. People are really excited to be out in a worship experience.’
On the other hand, Senior Pastor Mark Westerfield of Central Baptist Church in Round Rock said he didn’t reopen the church’s doors because he doesn’t want to be a ‘guinea pig.’
‘The freedom is there, however so to speak, we don’t want to be the guinea pig here,’ said Westerfield.
‘We want to make sure that our community feels safe about what we’re doing.’
He added that when his church does formally reopen, Central Baptist Church will ask parishioners to wear face masks and follow Texas’ public health guidelines.
‘The church exists whether people come to a building or not. Apostle Paul said it this way. All things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial,’ he said.
Pictured: Two members of LifeAustin don face masks and hold hands during Sunday’s service in Texas
Gov. Abbott (pictured): ‘Understand this: opening in Texas must occur in stages. Obviously, not all businesses can open all at once on May the first’
Despite criticism from public health experts, Gov. Greg Abbott moved to reopen Texas and became the first state to begin peeling back stay-at-home orders for residents.
Of his decision, Abbott said: ‘Understand this: opening in Texas must occur in stages. Obviously, not all businesses can open all at once on May the first.
‘Some businesses, if fully open, without better distancing standards, would be more likely to set us back, rather than to propel us forward.
‘A more strategic approach is required to ensure that we don’t reopen only to have to shut down once again,’ he said.
Although Abbott revealed Texas would start phasing out coronavirus guidelines, hundreds of anti-lockdown protestors still rallied in late April at the Texas Capitol Building.
In Texas, one of the most populous US states, all retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls can resume activity from today while limiting capacity to 25 percent of their usual occupancy.
But the lift in restrictions came as Texas had a record spike in coronavirus-related deaths.
Deaths jumped by 146 in just three days, bringing the state’s total to 812. The state recorded its highest daily death toll – 53 – on Thursday.
Pictured: Protestors gather outside the Texas State Capitol during a rally calling for the reopening of Austin and Texas in April
It comes as a rural area in Texas that previously had no deaths and eight infections out of its 50,000 population saw a spike in cases this week following an outbreak at a nursing home.
Lamar County, in the state’s east, became an overnight hotspot following the outbreak that has so far resulted in one death and 62 infections.
The whiplash from healthy outlier to overnight hotspot has shed light on the balancing act states are taking on as they begin relaxing restrictions amid the pandemic.
Texas reopens some movie theaters with an ‘airport security style check-in’ with temperature screenings
Some Texas movie theaters are reopening with an ‘airport security style check-in’ process after Gov Greg Abbott lifted lockdown restrictions on Friday.
Businesses are encouraged to follow social distancing and other health guidelines under Abbott’s executive order.
‘Face coverings are not mandatory, but encouraged to protect the lives of individuals at high-risk,’ Abbott said.
But Evo Entertainment and Santikos Entertainment are taking it a step further with temperature screenings and cordoned areas.
Evo Entertainment and Santikos Entertainment (theater pictured) are requiring attendees to undergo temperature screenings
Both theaters have also cordoned seating areas inside their theaters to ensure groups are sitting six feet apart
Evo Entertainment CEO, Mitchell Roberts, told Variety that the company will open two theaters on Monday using ‘airport security-style check-in’.
Roberts said guests will go through a cordoned area near the front entrance, they will be asked if anyone in their household has been sick, and they will have their temperatures checked.
Anyone with a temperature over 100.4 degrees will not be allowed inside.
‘I feel like it’s really important for our guests to come in and see what we’re doing to protect them,’ Roberts told Variety.
Evo will also require customers to wear masks at all times. Employees will also wear masks and gloves.
Like Evo, Santikos Entertainment is also taking similar precautions as it prepares to open its Palladium, Casa Blanca, and Cibolo theaters.
Both companies have reworked their food service stations to limit touch-points and they’ve eliminated cash transactions.
At Santikos, customers are encouraged to wear masks, but not required. Workers will wear both masks and gloves.
Evo will also require customers to wear masks at all times. Employees will also wear masks and gloves
Santikos Entertainment said masks are not required but they are recommended
The theaters will have also roped off seating, with every other row empty. Groups will be seated at least six feet apart.
Santikos CEO Tim Handren told Variety: ‘It’s gonna be incredibly, incredibly safe. We’re going to be a finely tuned machine with all the protocols that are required.’
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is currently in discussions about using airport screeners to do temperature checks on passengers before they board aircraft.
With White House guidelines for reopening having expired on Thursday, nearly half of US states are now forging ahead with various strategies to allow businesses – from restaurants and retailers to construction and manufacturing – to reopen.
In Texas, one of the most populous US states, all retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls were allowed to resume activity from May 1 while limiting capacity to 25 per cent of their usual occupancy.
The lift in restrictions came on Friday just a day after the state recorded its highest daily death toll of 53 on Thursday. As of Sunday, there are more than 30,500 coronavirus cases in Texas with 847 deaths.
Santikos Entertainment will be opening three of its nine theaters, including the Palladium (pictured) in San Antonio
A rural area in Texas that previously had no deaths and eight infections out of its 50,000 population saw a spike in cases last week following an outbreak at a nursing home.
Lamar County, in the state’s east, became an overnight hotspot following the outbreak that has so far resulted in one death and 62 infections.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said late on Thursday he was concerned about states and communities ‘leapfrogging’ over the first phase of federal guidelines for reopening.
‘Obviously, you could get away with that but you’re making a really significant risk,’ Fauci told CNN.
Phase one of the White House guidelines to reopening the US recommends states and regions satisfy a series of criteria including a 14-day decline in cases of the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus, a robust testing program and the healthcare capacity to handle a possible surge.
They also recommend that Americans ‘maximize physical distance’ and avoid social settings of more than 10 people and that employers encourage telework whenever possible and a gradual return to the workplace.
Source: Daily Mail US
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