Pastor Bryant Wyatt says he will keep Sacramento's Mount Calvary Baptist Church closed a little longer as he works on a safe reopening plan, despite President Donald Trump's call to have religious facilities open for worship this weekend.
Jillian Kitchener has more.
(TRUMP) "In America we need more prayer, not less." Even after President Donald Trump urged state governors to allow the reopening this weekend of places of worship, some churches are keeping their doors closed… Like Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Sacramento, California.
Pastor Bryant Wyatt says his top priority is keeping congregants healthy: "My responsibility is more so for the protection of the people than it is for me to claim my rights." Wyatt says he is still working on the church's reopening plan - which includes adequate space between worshippers, staff wearing face masks and hand sanitizing stations.
Even then - he thinks it will be a challenge for churchgoers to stay socially distant.
“We are very affectionate with everyone and to to not be able to see them, to not be able to touch them it's kind of hard.” In California, Houses of Worship are not scheduled to reopen until Phase 3… but Governor Gavin Newson is under pressure to open them sooner: "We were working with faith community to advance the efforts to begin to put out guidelines processes and procedures to keep the public health and safety of congregants and parishioners." (flash) “We've been working on those sectoral guidelines and we are just days away at the latest on Monday.
We will put out those guidelines…” Trump on Friday issued a warning to state governors who refuse his appeal… "If they don't do it, I will override the governors.” But Trump did not say under what authority he would act to force the reopening of religious facilities.
Legal experts says Trump doesn’t have the authority to force governors to re-open church doors.
An Atlanta pastor speaks out after President Trump’s announcement to reopen churches nationwide.
Kimberly Davis reports.
