Governor Andrew Cuomo last Saturday allowed for churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious institutions to open their doors at 25 percent capacity. However, many places were not prepared to open their doors, meaning this weekend will be the first time that many worshippers will gather in-person.
Congregation Shir Shalom in Buffalo is planning on holding their first bar mitzvah this Saturday. Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein said there will probably only be about eight people in attendance on Saturday.
He said that most of those who visit the synagogue are elderly, but acknowledged that 25 percent of their synagogue could still amount for upwards of 80 people.
"Most synagogues that I know about locally in Western New York or outside the area are not really looking to have meetings in person," he said. "It's too dangerous and we're still not quite up to that. It has made us think creatively. We certainly do have some members that would be ready. Life seems to have changed kind of suddenly in Western New York since last Thursday."
St. Leo the Great on Sweet Home Road in Amherst is among the Catholic churches that will open its doors for parishioners this weekend. Monsignor Robert E. Zapfel and his staff will organize worshippers in pews that are marked by a color to represent whichever service is underway. For example, one service would require all parishioners visiting to be in the green-marked pew, which are spaced at least six feet away from the next green-marked aisle.
"The Eucharist will only be distributed under the form of the body of Christ," Zapfel said. "The blood of Christ that we see from the chalice will not be used as a safety precaution. Additionally, we will only distribute communion on the hand. People are asked to place their two hands together and to have their hands flat so that the person who is distributing the Eucharist and the person receiving it do not touch."
There will also be other changes. The collection baskets will be solely held by the usher, children will not be serving mass, and Zapfel said not to expect hugging and shaking hands with strangers or to expect choirs and folk groups this weekend.
All people will be expected to wear masks and to sanitize when they enter and leave the church.
Religious leaders continue to seek extra guidance from New York State on what is necessary in order to reopen. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said that gatherings outside of the church for things like bible study must be limited to ten people. However, if it occurs in the church, the church must be at its 25 percent capacity.
When asked if churches should expect the capacity to increase before their phase four reopening, Hochul said it could change ahead of time but gave no guarantee.
"We recognize people need to be gathering," Hochul said. "This is a very tumultuous time for society. People need the sanctuary of their religion to help deal with what's going on, whether it's the social and civic unrest, or just dealing with the loss of a loved one because of COVID. We're trying to be very flexible."