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worship may take measures to promote physical distancing, in practice good
intentions are often outweighed by human nature.
The risk of transmission at a religious gathering is not confined to those who attend
those gatherings. If someone is infected with COVID-19 at a religious service, it is
very likely that he or she will transmit the virus to other members of his or her
household who, in turn, may transmit COVID-19 to others in the community.
The risk of transmission at religious gatherings increases significantly when the
prevalence of COVID-19 in the community is high. The higher the number of
COVID-19 cases in the general population, the more likely it is that people who
participate in a religious gathering will risk transmission at religious gatherings
increases significantly when the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community is
high. The higher the number of COVID-19 cases in the general population, the
more likely it is that people who participate in a religious gathering will have
COVID-19 and pass it on to others. In addition, when COVID-19 cases in the
general population are high, there is a greater burden on the healthcare system.
When that occurs, even small amounts of transmission at religious gatherings can
have a significant impact on the overall spread of the virus across the province,
resulting in an even greater strain on the healthcare system and potentially
impacting patient care.
Masks and physical distancing can help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission
but are insufficient to stop the spread of the virus, particularly when the prevalence
of COVID-19 in the population is high. As noted above, masks can be highly
variable in their effectiveness in healthcare settings and their effectiveness
decreases if they are ill-fitting or worn inconsistently. In addition, physical
distancing of at least 2 metres decreases the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission,
but there is evidence that droplets (or in some cases aerosols) can travel farther…
…
Having said that, there are several reasons why Ontario imposed different public
health measures on essential retail businesses compared to religious gatherings.
Ontario imposed different limits on those retail businesses not because religious
worship is any less essential than retail activities, but because religious gatherings
typically have characteristics that make them more likely to spread COVID-19 than
transient encounters in a retail setting. 102.
The behaviour of persons in religious spaces is different than the behaviour of
persons in retail spaces. First, people spend, on average, more time at religious
gatherings compared to retail settings. It is not uncommon for a person to “run in”
to retail stores to quickly purchase a number of small items. In contrast, religious
gatherings are often an extended length and typically run for more than an hour,
and sometimes for two hours or more. In addition, large groups of people tend to
arrive and depart religious services at the same time, which increases crowding, in