The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, without notice, removed specifics on choirs in its guidelines for houses of worship to reopen, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The CDC's original long-form guidance for businesses to reopen included detailed guidance for churches and other religious institutions, which the White House requested be taken out, according to AP.
- The agency released its interim guidance for communities of faith last week, separate from its 60-page reopening road map for states, restaurants, schools, child care programs, mass transit systems and other businesses.
Between the lines: President Trump has added pressure onto churches and houses of worship to reopen, saying he would override governors to allow them to open "right now."
What's new: The CDC's guidance on houses of worship no longer says that religious communities should "consider suspending or at least decreasing use of choir/musical ensembles and congregant singing, chanting, or reciting during services or other programming, if appropriate within the faith tradition," per the Post.
- “The act of singing may contribute to transmission of Covid-19, possibly through emission of aerosols," the removed CDC guidelines said.
The CDC did not respond to requests for comment.
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