The Archdiocese of Miami announced Monday that anyone attending mass and/or church gatherings, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to use masks.
“Given the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID, I ask you to resume requiring the use of facemasks, even for the vaccinated, during the celebration of the liturgy and other parish functions as well as maintain proper social distancing,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski.
Proper social distancing should also be maintained to help mitigate the risk of infection.
The updated guidance comes after a substantial increase in positive cases per 100,000 persons in the tri-county area since mid-December.
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“Even if as some allege that masks are not totally effective, they do help. Since the pandemic began in March 2020, we have said that the measures we have taken only mitigate but not eliminate the risk of infection. The research of the CDC has validated the benefit of masks with the N95 mask being the most effective,” the archbishop said.
Wenski added that parishes might want to “have available at the door of the church a supply of masks to distribute to those who arrive without one” and that anyone who is not feeling well "should stay home as should those who are fearful of contracting the virus because of an underlying condition.”
As for religious education classes, he said, like Catholic schools, they can continue in-person with proper social distancing and all, teachers and students, wear facemasks.”
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