French court orders review of church attendance limits

France’s highest court ordered a review of COVID-19 restrictions placed on churches on Sunday, stating the mitigation measures were too severe for the risk posed by church attendance.

Religious services were allowed to resume on Nov. 28 but attendance was limited to 30 people regardless of the size of the building where the service was held.

Catholic organizations have challenged the rules, arguing that churches are more spacious than retail spaces where only one person is allowed per every eight square meters, Reuters reported.

France announced last week that the country’s national lockdown, which began on Oct. 30, would be lifted in phases. Along with religious services, shops selling non-essential goods were also allowed to reopen.

“The claimants are right in saying that the measure is disproportionate in light of protecting the public’s health … thus it is a serious and illegal infringement on the freedom of worship,” said France’s State Council, the country’s highest court.

The Conference of French Bishops claimed that no other activities were limited so strictly. The organization said it would be meeting with France’s Prime Minister Jean Castex on Sunday to discuss new rules for church services.

Catholic organizations have suggested that churches be allowed to open up to 30 percent of their capacity, according to Reuters.

France has confirmed over 2 million cases and over 51,000 deaths due to COVID-19. France has recently experienced a new surge of cases though numbers have begun to drop in recent weeks.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the spread of coronavirus has slowed in Europe. A WHO coronavirus envoy warned, however, that Europe was at risk of experiencing a third surge in 2021 if restrictions are rolled back too quickly.