Houses of worship in New Jersey are now able permitted to hold services with 50% room capacity with no caps on the number of people as the second wave of the coronavirus continues to retreat, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday. The new rule goes into effect immediately and comes just days ahead of Purim. “We know that for many of our residents, the ability to worship together plays a central role in well-being and mental health,” Murphy said at his regular COVID-19 briefing. “As our numbers continue to decline, we believe we can safely take this step.” Masks are still required and people from different households need to socially distance. “Because of these safeguards, we are allowing houses of worship to welcome more congregants,” Murphy said, “And faith leaders can, of course, choose to limit services to a smaller number than 50% capacity, if they feel that is best for their community.” JOIN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS WHO ALREADY ARE ALERTED OF BREAKING NEWS LIKE THIS IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (AP)

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