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White House Shelves CDC’s Church Reopening Advice in Fear of Backlash From Religious Trumpists, Says Report

Trump officials reportedly fear a rebellion from the president’s religious supporters.

Scientific advice on how to safely reopen U.S. churches has been held back because the White House fears a backlash from President Trump’s religious supporters, according to the Washington Post. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week released guidance for reopening a wide range of institutions and businesses including schools, child-care facilities, and restaurants. But there are reportedly no plans to release guidance for religious institutions because of a disagreement between the CDC and the White House on how restrictive the measures should be. Administration officials told the Post the White House didn’t want to upset religious supporters and believed some measures, such as limits on passing of collection plates, were too strict. After the two sides failed to reach a compromise, the advice was shelved. Tara Smith, an epidemiology professor at Kent State University, said: “You’re talking about that group that is really vulnerable to this virus, and those are the ones you don’t have guidelines for and that you need to protect.”