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White House Hid CDC’s Warning That Singing in Church Choirs Can Spread Coronavirus, Says Report

The White House and the CDC have strongly disagreed on the level of restrictions to place on houses of worship.

The Trump administration took down warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website that singing in choirs can spread the novel coronavirus, The Washington Post reports. A debate has been raging for weeks between the White House and the CDC on the level of restrictions to place on houses of worship, but, last Friday, the administration released some guidance on the CDC website. It included recommendations that churches “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.” It added: “The act of singing may contribute to transmission of COVID-19, possibly through emission of aerosols.” However, by Saturday, any reference to choirs or congregant singing was reportedly removed. The new guidance also removed a reference to “shared cups” that shouldn’t be passed around. Two White House officials told the newspaper the first version wasn’t approved by the White House, so they asked the CDC to post a different cleared document a day later.