In Mount Vernon, Washington a choir decided to go ahead with a rehearsal in early March and now dozens of members have contracted the Covid-19 virus and two have died. With the virus spreading quickly through the state, leaders of the Skagit Valley Chorale debated whether to go ahead with weekly rehearsal. People were already dying in the Seattle area an hour’s drive to the south. But in Skagit county it was business as usual with no reported cases and no prohibitions on gatherings yet announced.

On March 6, 2020 Adam Burdick, the choir’s conductor sent out an email to the 121 member chorus saying the rehearsal would proceed as scheduled on March 10, 2020 at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church.

60 singers showed up. Choir members were offered hand sanitizer at the door and everyone refrained from the usual hugs. The 2 1/2 hour rehearsal went smoothly with everyone trying to maintain some level of social distancing. Everyone had their own sheet music and they avoided social contact. On March 10, 2020 I was also going about business as usual here in Orlando. I entered a crowded sold out theater that night to sketch.

Three weeks later 45 of the singers developed symptoms and have been diagnosed with Covid-19. At least three singers have been hospitalized and two are dead.

No one at the rehearsal reported seeing anyone coughing or sneezing. Someone must have had the virus and yet not yet exhibited any sign of the illness. Some members did help set up and remove folding chairs and there were some mandarin oranges which people helped themselves to.

On infectious disease expert said that the act of singing might have resulted in fine particles being dispersed as people sang. It is possible the viral particles suspended in the air can be infectious for up to three hours. It apparently could spread without touch and among people who were asymptomatic.

The next choir performance was going to be in late April for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival which attracts more than a million people. As of March 31, 2020, Tulip Festival organizers implored all tulip fans to follow the directives of the governor and the president. Stay home, stay healthy, stay alive. There are no services in Skagit Valley. Not even portable toilets! No open restaurants. Many public buildings are closed. All festival events were canceled. Organizers are asking people to enjoy the tulips virtually. #togetherwetulip

__________________________________________________________________________________

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a “Safer at Home” order which went into effect Thursday night, April 2, at midnight. The order instructs people to stay home except for those working at essential business. The order was meant to follow the CDC guidelines to “Slow the Spread” which recommended restrictions to certain establishments conducive to mass gatherings and congregations. The order will last for 30 days.

On Monday March 30, 2020, a Tampa Florida mega church pastor was arrested after leading packed services despite the “safer at home” order issued in Hillsborough County. Sheriff Chad Chronister said up to 500 people were in attendance at Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne‘s Sunday services. The pastor was charged with unlawful assembly and violating public health emergency rules of isolation and quarantine. He paid the $500 bond and was released 40 minutes later.

At a press conference Monday afternoon the sheriff said, “Pastor Rodney Howard-Brown’s reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week in danger.”

The goal is not to stop anyone from worshiping but to have them worship safely. The Church has a steaming service that can allows parishioners to see the service from home. At a church service on March 15, Howard-Browne said he would not close his church’s doors until the Rapture, when believers will be lifted up to heaven, according to evangelical theology. Brown claimed his church was an essential business, like Walmart.

State Attorney Andrew Warren referred to Mark 12:13 “There is no more important commandment than to love your neighbor as yourself. And loving your neighbors is protecting them and not jeopardizing their health by exposing them to this deadly virus.”

As of this writing there are over 1,000,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US resulting in over 51,000 deaths. In Florida there are 7717 confirmed cases with 128 deaths.

Stay home, stay safe.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis added a loop hole in his “Safe at Home” order allowing church services. This is insane! DeSantis puts the DUH in Floriduh.

In the Florida order “Essential Activities” means and encompasses the following:

1. Attending religious services conducted in churches, synagogues and houses of worship; (Is this limited by the more sane CDC mandate that only 10 people can congregate?) and

2. Participating in recreational activities (consistent with social distancing guidelines) such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running, or swimming; and

3. Taking care of pets; and

4. Caring for or otherwise assisting a loved one or friend.

DeSantis issued a second executive order that says statewide rules will “supersede any conflicting official
action or order issued by local officials in response to COVID-19.” Meaning cities that are suffering from higher rates of infection can not issue stricter guidelines to save lives.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Requiem 

Lyrics translated from Latin:

When the accursed have been condemned

And doomed to the searing flames,

Summon me with the saved.

Suppliant and prostrate, I entreat you,

My heart as spent as ashes,

Have care for my fate.