Drive-up religious services will be allowed this weekend in Riverside County, but barred again after Easter Sunday to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The decision was a temporary reversal of an order that went into effect last weekend by Riverside County’s public health officer that sought to curb to all houses of worship from meeting in person, including drive-in religious services, to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
“Drive-up service means residents do not get out of their cars, do not roll down their windows, and do not pass things between cars, such as texts, communion or collection baskets,” Brooke Federico, Riverside County’s public information officer, told City News Service.
The San Francisco-based Dhillon Law Group sent letters to Riverside and San Bernardino county officials this week on behalf of the Center for American Liberty, threatening legal action if the counties did not reverse their bans on in-person religious services.
“This is picking on religion,” attorney Harmeet Dhillon told City News Service. “It is unconstitutional to do that.”
Federico acknowledged the county received the demand letter, but did not say whether its decision to allow Easter weekend to be temporarily exempted from the original order was due to the threat of legal action.
“The move is a result of community feedback,” Federico said.
San Bernardino County officials made a similar decision Friday, also reversing their temporary ban on in-person religious services for this weekend only.
Dhillon said potential lawsuits remain a possibility while applauding each county’s decision to allow Christians to celebrate Easter Sunday during drive-up services. Still, she said, other religious groups can benefit from an exemption, not just Christians.
“I don’t want to rain on their parade,” Dhillon said. “I think its important that Christians be able to celebrate Easter, but there are other people of faith in California, too. We don’t just have special rules for Christians.”
Other directives announced last weekend remain in effect, including the barring of all outside gatherings except for those between family members residing in the same home, and a requirement that anyone who leaves their home must wear a face covering.
A “drive-in style” Easter service hosted by 412 Church Murrieta at 7 a.m. Sunday at Reading Cinema Cal Oaks Theater, 41090 California Oaks Road, will feature live worship music, communion, prayer and Easter celebration sermons by lead Pastor Tim Thompson.
The church thanked those who pressured elected officials to allow the service to take place.
“Hundreds of phone calls were made by faithful Christians and constitutional conservatives across the county to individual members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, urging them to rescind the Riverside County Health Officer’s order that prohibited all drive-up church services through the duration of the state’s shelter in place mandate,” the church said in a news release.