California Governor Gavin Newsom has asserted that the state did not have enough information to keep churches and other places of worship open while keeping Hollywood productions open during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has argued that the decision to close churches but keep Hollywood open was purely out of necessity and knowledge – or lack thereof – of the virus when the decisions were made. He also emphasized that the state was working with faith-based leaders to ensure their churches could eventually have safe reopening plans.
