SALT LAKE CITY – In March 2020, the world seems to be closing in as state leaders rush to keep Utahns safe from the fast-paced and largely mysterious novel. As part of the response, church services were limited, and family members were unable to visit loved ones at health care facilities.
Almost a year later, a state parliamentarian tries to prevent this from happening again with a bill that he says will protect religious and personal freedoms, even in states of emergency.
Rep. Cory Maloy, R-Lehi, is the sponsor of HB184, which would prevent health departments from limiting religious exercises or entering a church. It also prohibits a health care institution from prohibiting people from seeing at least one family member or spiritual counselor at a time.
“This means nothing negative about our health care facilities or our health care workers; I know that everyone … worked very, very hard to do the right things, but we strongly feel (about) that right to be able to have those emotional connections, “Maloy said.
Taking appropriate health measures would still be allowed in the current language of the bill, and the facilities would be allowed to “do everything to ensure everyone is kept safe,” Maloy said, but will not be allowed to do so. allows to ban visitors altogether.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t make recommendations or put the right things in place to keep people safe, but just do them without closing these places,” he said.
In a written statement, the Utah Department of Health said it is reviewing the bill and will address any potential concerns with Maloy.
“The Utah Department of Health has an important responsibility to respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases to protect the health of Utah residents,” wrote Tom Hudachko, communications director for the Utah Department of Health.
While the bill was inspired by the state’s COVID-19 response, Maloy said he was not feeling well or that other public officials had acted badly and acknowledged that the situation was quick and difficult to address; however, he said it is important to reflect on the answer and see if there are areas where the state could be better in the future.
“I think it’s good for us to look at what we’ve learned over the last year,” he said.
Religious impact
While Utah has not limited its worship since the spring, other states have faced adverse reactions to strict health guidelines applied to the cult. The U.S. Supreme Court recently joined religious groups in a dispute over COVID-19 restrictions in New York, ruling that the guidelines implemented for churches were far more restrictive than regulations adopted for similar secular affairs. Prior to the ruling, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reviewed the restrictions in response to a lawsuit by religious organizations.
Utah initially restricted church services in person, but later allowed them in accordance with the new guidelines issued in May. Since then, the state has largely avoided taking orders on the religious sector in Utah.
In November, former Gary Herbert issued a new emergency order to address the overcrowding of hospitals that banned residents from gathering socially with those living outside their household. Religious organizations have been exempted from order and have instead been encouraged to implement appropriate health protocols in their congregations to limit the spread.
Fortunately, Maloy said, Utah included its religious organizations in making key decisions about the COVID-19 response, and there were no similar cases to the problems observed in New York and other states; however, he considered that ensuring religious freedoms even in the face of emergencies was crucial, which is why he proposed the bill as a preventive measure.
“This is a precautionary measure to make sure this never happens here in Utah,” Maloy said.
Religious groups in the state have largely followed health lines to limit the spread of COVID-19 outside government orders. But Maloy said that “the difference is that they were not forced by the government” and that they acted because “it was what they had to do with their congregations.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been proactive in its response. The global church suspended personal church service and did not return to services immediately, even after local guidelines allowed.
Several other religious groups have implemented their own COVID-19 guidelines in addition to state requirements. Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake, for example, closed services in person after services were briefly opened.
“I just wanted to be careful,” Priest Oscar Moses told KSL.com about his decision. “I never wanted to risk someone getting the virus.”
Chabad Lubavitch of Utah has adjusted its services by implementing a hybrid system with some services performed in person and others online to maintain public health guidelines. In December, the congregation also hosted holidays away from Hanukkah.
“While we are taking precautions, we are trying to be there for people in a way that makes them feel most comfortable,” Rabbi Avremi Zippel told KSL.com.
Zippel said he was grateful for the state’s partnership with various religious communities in addressing the pandemic response.
“This is something we are very grateful for here in Utah,” he said. “I know we don’t take this for granted because I know that many of my colleagues who live in other parts of the country, in larger communities, have really had a way of knocking down the hammer on different religious communities in the local government. which seems to be in a completely arbitrary way. “
The state’s response to COVID-19 was largely based on personal responsibility, with a mandatory mask mandate that was not implemented until a few months after the pandemic.
For Zippel, he said he believes religious leaders need to strike a balance between setting an example in times of crisis while providing crucial religious and spiritual support.
“We have to lead from the front; we have to close when we have to close,” he explained, noting that Judaism and several other religions give high priority to a person’s health.
On the other hand, he mentioned that it is important for religious leaders to feel the support of the local government for the service they provide to the community.
“I believe that as religious leaders, we like to feel supported, recognized and recognized by our local governments for the essential services we provide to our communities,” he said. “Some people rely on their communities of faith for support, for structure, for so many good things in their lives, especially when everything collapses around them.”
Finally, while Maloy said that Utah has done an excellent job balancing religious freedoms while protecting public health, he said it was important to strengthen those rights by law.
Protecting the elderly in living spaces
Maloy’s bill would also prohibit housing facilities for the elderly from restricting the visit of residents by family members or religious leaders, which was common practice at the beginning of the pandemic, in an effort to protect them. virus residents.
“The reason is that they are often very fragile because of their age. And their blockage of not being able to have the emotional support system from their spiritual leaders or their family is just something we don’t want to see,” he said. Maloy. “It’s meant to be preventative to protect those rights, and we’ve seen cases in Utah where the elderly – especially the elderly – have been away from their family members or spiritual leaders for months on end, and we just feel that that’s too much of a violation. “
Jenny Allred, who spent several months without seeing her 95-year-old grandmother, said the bill is extremely important and is “something that absolutely must happen.”
“The health department has focused so much on maintaining physical safety – which is an absolute must – however, there is another very important component to that health that goes hand in hand and that is mental and emotional health,” he said. she. “So I think this will help us find a balance between that.”
As Allred’s grandmother lives, she reacted to COVID-19 cases in the community, the family’s contact with the 95-year-old decreased, and the family was “very worried, because we could not take care of her.”
Eventually, the family managed to bring her an Alexa device to help her communicate, but they still couldn’t sometimes contact her. Visits in person were also limited, allowed to happen only through a glass window. Her grandmother contracted COVID-19 at one point and Allred and other family members struggled to contact her for health updates because the unit was overwhelmed and understaffed. Fortunately, her grandmother has recovered since then.
“I think when you go through those things, you can even see her in person and have that connection, tell her that things will be OK, that you can provide that love and that she can feel that and see that in person, I think he talks a lot, “Allred said.
Maloy agreed and said that this is his whole idea behind the bill: to prevent the elderly from isolating themselves during a disaster.
“I can still take precautions to do everything to make sure everyone is safe, (but) they won’t be able to just say, ‘No, you can’t have visitors coming in,'” Maloy said.
Lauren Bennett