Pandemic Response and Religion in the United States represents an initial archiving of online materials related to religion and the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Materials are organized by thematic category and can be searched by keywords. This database will encourage further research into religion and pandemic response. We hope that such research will in turn serve to guide policy decisions by religious organizations and governments. It will also serve as a foundation for teaching about religion and health, disaster response, and other key issues at the high school and college levels. This project was made possible by a WMU Meader Presidential Endowment Covid19 Response Grant. The project’s principle investigator (PI) is Dr. Stephen Covell and the co-PI is Dr. Diane Riggs. Data was collected by the following graduate students in the Department of Comparative Religion: Cameron Borg, Gerald Brooks, Jarrett Stalinger and Emily Warren.
Submissions from 2020
4 Nuns, 3 Employees at Convent of Sisters of the Holy Cross Test Positive for COVID-19, 16 News Now WNDU
A Prayer, a Prozac, or Both: Navigating Faith-Based Mental Health, Farha Abbasi and Berkley Center-Georgetown University
Rethinking Mikvah Attendance in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Carmella Abraham
Islamophobia Is Making the Coronavirus Crisis Worse, Ravi Agrawal
Probable Mention of a Covid-19 like Pandemic in the Quran, Abdul Rashid Agwan
COVID-19 and Islamic Burial Laws: Safeguarding dignity of the dead, Ahmed Al-Dawoody and Oran Finegan
One German Church Service Resulted in More than 100 Coronavirus Infections, Zeeshan Aleem
Around the World, Nuns on ‘Front Lines’ of Coronavirus Pandemic, Elise Ann Allen
Americans United For Separation of Church and State Letter to Governor Whitmer, Americans United
Are Churches and Other Houses of Worship Offering Services? What are the Social Distancing Requirements?, America: State of New Jersey
What Hermits Can Teach Us About Isolation, Hephzibah Anderson
Majority of People Do Not Want Religious Doctrine Dictating Healthcare Choices, Study Reveals, Kate Anderton
What Islamic Hygienic Practices can Teach When Coronavirus is Spreading, Rose S. Aslan and The Conversation
Coronavirus Outbreak Linked To West Virginia Church Grows To Over 40 Cases, Associated Press and KDKA CBS Pittsburg
COVID-19 Lockdown Brings Fresher Air, Cleaner Rivers in India, Associated Press and Market Watch
Revised Guidance for Places of Worship, Back on Track Indiana- State of Indiana
Coronavirus: Non-religious people are more likely to survive Covid-19, new figures claim, Martin Bagot and Shivali Best
Sip from the common cup? On Ash Wednesday, coronavirus and the flu have religious leaders tweaking rituals., Sarah Pulliam Bailey
Aftermath and Flourishing? The Role of Religion in a Post-Pandemic Public Square, Chris Baker and Berkley Center-Georgetown University
Why has the Pandemic Spared the Buddhist Parts of South-East Asia?, Banyan-The Economist
Religion and Science in a Time of COVID-19: Allies or adversaries?, Sima Barmania and Michael J. Reiss
Who Do People Trust For Coronavirus Info? In Zambia, It's Nuns On The Radio, Pranav Baskar
India Coronavirus: Amarnath Pilgrimage Cancelled Due to Covid-19, BBC News
Conversations Continue Regarding Mecklenburg County’s Black Community and COVID-19, Bria Bell
How Did Early Christians Respond to Plagues?, Kenneth Berding
Berkley Center-Content related to economics, Berkley Center-Georgetown University
Religion and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social welfare, Berkley Center-Georgetown University
Be Safe. Places of Worship, Be Safe Chicago- City of Chicago
Do Religious Face Coverings Count as Masks? Your COVID-19 questions answered, Ania Bessonov
Playing God: Pandemic Brings Moral Dilemmas to US Hospitals, Kara Bettis
Religion and Mental Health: Two Neighbors Who Fell Out, Dinesh Bhugra and Berkley Center-Georgetown University
Harder to Find Hope as Clergy get Latest SC COVID-19 Data and Projections, Brad Bloom
Boca Raton Community Mikvah: Mikvah form, Boca Raton Community Mikvah
People Perform Puja to Eradicate Coronavirus in Karnataka's Hubballi, Manjunath Hegde Bomnalli
COVID Christmas: Packed church wait-lists, live-streamed services and increased giving, Michelle Boorstein and The Washington Post
Coronavirus: Pope's closeness to nuns affected by Covid-19, Linda Bordoni
Worship in the Age of Coronavirus: Prayer, elbow bumps, hand sanitizer, Julie Bosman and Mitch Smith
Jain Monk’s Welcome Sparks Covid-19 Scare, Brut.
Together While Apart: Compassion for the long haul, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
The Hajj in Times of Epidemics, Marjo Buitelaar
Iowa Religious Leaders Express Concern Over Restarting Church Services, Mike Bunge
People use Religion as a Coping Mechanism During COVID-19 Outbreak, Austin Burnett
"Ajahn Corona", Bhikkhuni Canda, Ajahn Brahmavamso, and Youtube
Indiana Funeral Homes Making Restrictions to Protect Employees and Loved Ones During COVID-19 Pandemic, Aaron Cantrell
Dear Mental Health Innovators: The COVID-19 honeymoon Is almost over, Jessica Carson, Harris Eyre, and Helen Lavretsky
How One Church Is Handling The Coronavirus Outbreak, Annacaroline Caruso
Checklist for Communities of Faith, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Community and Faith-Based Organizations: Plan, prepare, and respond, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
FAQs for Administrators and Leaders at Community- and Faith-Based Organizations, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Funeral Guidance, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Grief & Loss, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Interim Guidance for Communities of Faith, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
On Religion: Bethel and Fellow Believers Beneath the Bridge: Thousands flock to Sundial Bridge to worship during a pandemic, Doni Chamberlain
Federal Judge Rules New York Cannot Limit Religious Gatherings With BLM Protests And Businesses Reopening, Sophia Chang
COVID-19 Messages From the Kelim Mikvah and Mikvah Emunah Society, Cheryl Stern Community Kelim Mikvah and Kemp Mill Synagogue
Beloved Nun, Educator Loses Battle with COVID-19, Gina Christian
Praying About World Issues, Christian Science
Rev. Al Sharpton Urges Black Faith Leaders To Forgo In-Person Holy Week Services, Tanya A. Christian
Revelations from the Outbreak of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Shan Ci
Michigan’s First Jewish COVID-19 Death, Shari Cohen
Churches Were Eager to Reopen. Now They Are Confronting Coronavirus Cases., Kate Conger, Jack Healy, and Lucy Tompkins
Fudo Myo-o: The enduring power of a wrathful deity, Core Kyoto- NHK World-Japan
Kyoto Amulets: The embodiment of prayers for happiness, Core Kyoto- NHK World-Japan
Protocol for Places of Worship: Appendix F, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health
30 New Covid-19 Cases in Croatia in Last 24 Hours, Including 10 Nuns, CroatiaWeek
Does Gender or Religion Contribute to the Risk of COVID-19 in Hospital Doctors?, Sunil Daga, Sadaf Jafferbhoy, Geeta Menon, Mansoor Ali, Subarna Chakravorty, Saqib Ghani, Amir Burney, JS Bamrah, Ramesh Mehta, and Indranil Chakravorty
Indoor Religious Services Once Again Prohibited in Berkeley Because of Rise in COVID-19 Cases, Francis Dinkelspiel
Spiritual resources during COVID-19, Diocese of Grand Rapids
The Pandemic and the Will of God, Ross Douthat
Responses to COVID19 in Buddhist Communities of Contemporary China-Preliminary findings, Daigengna Duoer and The Jivaka Project
An Indigenous Perspective to COVID-19, Angelique EagleWoman
In Our Opinion: The right to worship should never be cast aside in a pandemic, Editorial Board
The Kano COVID-19 Deaths: Forced relocations and disinformation creates widespread confusion (Part II), Nwachukwu Egbunike and Global Voices
The Kano COVID-19 Deaths: Stories untold (Part I), Nwachukwu Egbunike and Global Voices
Mikveh Immersion to Prepare for our New Normal after Covid-19, Hannah Estrin
Here’s What the Science Says About the Links Between Religion and Health, Erica Evans
Here’s What the Science Says About the Links Between Religion and Health, Erica Evans
COVID-19: Pandemic Taking Toll At Maryknoll, A Dozen Deaths Of Priests, Nuns Reported, Zak Failla
U.S. Muslims Try to Balance Eid Rituals with Coronavirus Concerns, Mariam Fam and WHYY PBS
CDC Quietly Revises Coronavirus Warnings on Reopening Religious Sites, Adds First Amendment Note, WIll Feuer
WMU Researchers Creating National Database of Religious Response to COVID-19, Erin Flynn
G20 Interfaith Forum Gathers Latin American Religious Leaders for Consultation on COVID-19 and Society Inequalities Exposed by the Virus, G20 Interfaith Forum and CISION PR Newswire
Coronavirus Brought Me Back to Reporting on Religion, Lily Fowler
Coronavirus is Changing the Rituals of Death for Many Religions, Lauren Frayer, Daniel Estrin, and Jane Arraf
Religion During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Islamic bioethical perspectives, Mohammed Ghaly and The Hastings Institute
Clinical Study Considers The Power Of Prayer To Combat COVID-19, Tom Gjelten
NIH Director Tells Churches To Do The 'Altruistic, Loving Thing' And Stay Closed, Tom Gjelten
Coronavirus News: Passover Seders going digital during Coronavirus pandemic, Lauren Glassberg
Churches, Chaplains, Nuns Have Unexpected Role in COVID-19 Crisis, Carol Glatz and America The Jesuit Review
Faith in a Time of Crisis, Bryan Goodman
Comfort for the Comforters: Pandemic brings attention to mental health of faith community leaders, Nicki Gorny
Grace Community Church-Coronavirus Response, Grace Community Church
An Imam Leads His Congregation Through the Pandemic, Eliza Griswald
The Role of Traditional Indian Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic, Walter Hallow
The Right to Worship: Church and state clash over religious services in the coronavirus era, Laura Hancock
Sheboygan County Outbreak Highlights Risks Of Reopening Church During Pandemic, Megan Hart