New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stepped on a bipartisan political landmine March 29 when he threatened to permanently close religious congregations that host worship services and other gatherings in defiance of social-distancing orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The American people are patient and will tolerate temporary impositions on their freedoms if it means they can demonstrate love for their neighbor. But that tolerance begins to grow thin when politicians carelessly threaten to ‘permanently’ shut down synagogues, churches, and other houses of worship, irresponsibly enflaming an already emotional issue,” First Liberty Institute special counsel Jeremy Dys told The Epoch Times.
