can attend and other precautions.

Under the new rules, places of worship must limit the number of people in a facility to 25% of normal or no more than 100 people for services or funerals, whichever is smaller. The same requirement holds for any enclosed space that would hold a public protest.

The notification says county public health departments must first approve the guidelines for their communities. The California Department of Public Health is still urging people to wear face coverings in public and wash hands frequently to limit the spread of COVID-19.

There are other mandates for places of worship, including that they have a prevention plan, train staff, clean and disinfect and set social distancing boundaries. Staff and choir members should wear face coverings and stay six feet apart, and the state recommends avoiding singing or group recitations.The guidelines also discourage the use of collection plates.

CDPH still encourages places of worship to continue to offer online services. It says it will review the guidelines in three weeks.

The guidelines come as Gov. Gavin Newsom is under increasing pressure from faith groups to ease restrictions. On Friday an appeals court upheld Newsom’s ban on in-person church services after a San Diego church sued. The judges in the majority wrote that the state can use unusual powers as it deals with a “contagious and often fatal disease.”

The new guidelines also allow retail stores to open statewide, under the same expanded "Stage 2" rules 47 of the state's 58 counties are currently under. Retail does not include personal services such as hair salons, nail salons and barbershops.

More information about the state’s COVID-19 guidance is on the CDPH's guidance web page.

More information about reopening California and what individuals can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is available at covid19.ca.gov.

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