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Justice Department Calls on San Francisco to End ‘Draconian’ One-Worshiper Rule for Churches

'This restriction suggests hostility to religious people and the free exercise of religion,' DOJ says

Justice Department Calls on San Francisco to End ‘Draconian’ One-Worshiper Rule for Churches
San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks during a news conference in San Francisco on Jan. 15, 2020. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
9/26/2020|Updated: 9/26/2020

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday called on San Francisco Mayor London Breed to end the city’s “one congregant” rule and raise the allowable capacity in churches, alleging that current pandemic-related policy “suggests hostility to religious people and the free exercise of religion.”

Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband and U.S. Attorney David Anderson of the Northern District of California, in a letter (pdf) denounced as “draconian” San Francisco’s restrictions regarding attending houses of worship, which generally let just one congregant inside at a time. Exceptions to the rule, according to the San Francisco order (pdf), are that a parent or guardian may be accompanied by their minor children or that a person with a disability may bring their caregiver.
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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