As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to rise throughout the state, rules to keep us safe are changing by the minute. California health officials announced that singing will now be temporarily banned in all places of worship. “Practices and performances present an increased likelihood for transmission of Covid-19 through contaminated exhaled droplets and should occur through alternative methods like internet streaming,” the state’s Department of Public Health announced.
CDC researchers who conducted a recent study found that COVID-19 spread from one member to 87% of singers at a choir practice in Washington. “The act of singing, itself, might have contributed to transmission through emission of aerosols, which is affected by loudness of vocalization,” the agency said.