New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today called the U.S. Supreme Court ruling “irrelevant” that blocked COVID-19 restrictions on religious service and said that the ruling concerned certain areas that were no longer considered high-risk.
New York has categorized neighborhoods by levels of virus infection into yellow, orange, and red. According to the restrictions, places of worship in red zones can be left open with a capacity of 25% up to ten people at most.
Andrew Cuomo told reporters by telephone that the Supreme Court ruling would have no impact on efforts to control the pandemic in the State, as the district was no longer in designated red since last week.
“It’s irrelevant of any practical impact because of the zone they were talking about is moot. It expired last week,” the governor said. “I think this was really just an opportunity for the Court to express its philosophy and politics.”
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, the two Jewish synagogues, and Agudath Israel of America, the American organization that represents Haredi Orthodox Jews, have filed a lawsuit against Andrew Cuomo’s decision, denouncing that the restrictions imposed on the places of worship ran contrary to the freedom of religion. They pointed out that stricter restrictions were imposed in places of worship than in stores such as grocery stores.
Andrew Cuomo urged New Yorkers to “wear their masks” in a tweet today, adding that nearly 7,000 people in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, while 67 who have died in the same period have been infected with the virus.
Source: ANA-MPA
