According to California’s Blueprint for Reducing COVID-19, Los Angeles County is currently labeled as Widespread (Purple) status. The Widespread status level indicates that “many non-essential indoor business operations are closed,” as of November 10, 2020.

This color-coded blueprint system determines which businesses can reopen based on the total of new COVID-19 cases in a specific area. For churches, the Widespread status means church services can only be conducted outdoors with spacing modifications.

The Los Angeles Archdiocese is following county and state public safety guidelines. Currently, parishes have discontinued indoor masses while some parishes are holding outdoor masses. Others are offering virtual masses and you can find the list of churches live streaming their services here.

If you plan to attend an outdoor service within the LA Archdiocese jurisdiction, parishioners “must wear face coverings and practice social distancing” to slow the spread of COVID-19.

CDC offers the following general considerations to help congregants decide how to practice their faith:

• staying home when sick or if you had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19;
• wearing facial coverings;
• practicing hand washing hygiene
• maintaining social distancing (i.e. 6 feet apart)