For the first time in over two months, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem reopens, despite the uncertainty some people still have about the effects of the pandemic on public health and the local economy.

Bishop Thomas R. Zinkula of Davenport, Iowa has called for the release of three Guatemalan immigrant detainees as the pandemic places them in "a very vulnerable situation."

The once-unthinkable toll appears to be just the beginning of untold misery in the months ahead as Las Vegas casinos and Walt Disney World make plans to reopen, crowds of unmasked Americans swarm beaches and public health officials predict a resurgence by fall.

The Catholic bishops of Washington state, in a public statement, said that observance of the pandemic protocols in the suspension of Masses was done not out of fear but "out of our deepest respect for human life and health."

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles has announced plans for the reopening of churches within his archdiocese by the first week of June, provided safety protocols are observed.

Their isolation can be a positive—in this case it has kept the coronavirus at bay—“but they can’t count on government health care services and have to deal with a deep racism.”