New Mexico lifted the capacity restrictions on houses of worship in the state, allowing more Christians to come together to worship in churches.
In the "Public Health Order" released by Health Secretary Tracie C. Collins dated April 23, the state announced its permission to hold religious services in churches without capacity limitation but encouraged certain limits on indoor services according to a county's risk level.
Counties are categorized in four levels, including turquoise (low risk), green (medium risk), yellow (high risk) and red (very high risk).
The order "strongly encouraged" limiting church attendance to 75% for turquoise, 50% for green, 33% for yellow and 25% for red.
The order further advised citizens to take "preventive precautions," including staying at home and only taking "outings" that are "absolutely necessary," avoiding crowds and non-essential travels such as plane trips and cruise ships.
The office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham released a statement through its Press Secretary Nora Meyers-Sackett, captured by Las Cruces Sun News.
"This change was made in light of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that enjoin states from enforcing capacity limits on churches that are more restrictive than other entities like factories and schools. Nonetheless, houses of worship are strongly encouraged to protect their congregants and communities by enacting social distancing measures to bolster public health and minimize risk of viral spread of their own accord," Meyers-Sackett said.
In the Supreme Court's latest decision, the conservative justices lifted the restrictions on holding Bible studies and prayer meetings in homes, citing violation of the First Amendment's protection for religious freedom "whenever they treat any comparable secular activity more favorably than religious exercise".
The update was welcomed as "great news" by a minister, Albuquerque Journal wrote.
In his video posted the very day of the announcement, Calvary Church's Pastor Skip Heitzig invited congregants to attend services that weekend.
"We've been waiting a long time to hear this great news," he also said.
Calvary Church was fined $5,000 last December for its violation of the public health order after pictures during the Christmas Eve circulated. The images showed large crowd of church attendees and only a few wore masks. Another megachurch, the Legacy Church, was fined likewise for the same reason.
Legacy Church sued the state in April last year, accusing that its health orders violated religious freedom. But a federal judge sided with the state, saying that it had the right to limit mass gatherings during a public health crisis.
On the other hand, Rabbi Harry Rosenfield of Congregation Albert stated that the synagogue would continue to organize its services virtually until Bernalillo County moves to "green" or "turquoise" level, citing the rise of virus cases in the state.
As of April 27, New Mexico already has 196,844 positive cases and 4,027 fatalities.
In a press release dated April 26, it said that the state has recorded 177,866 cases of recoveries.
As of Friday, 57.5% of the state residents have already taken their first dose of vaccines while 40.4% have been fully vaccinated.
The order is valid until May 21.
