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.

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Submissions from 2020

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WMU Team Creates National Database to Document How Religious Groups are Handling COVID-19, Tarvarious Haywood

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Wayne County Volunteers Feed Hundreds of Families During Pandemic Thousands of pounds of food distributed to low-income Metro Detroit families in need, Grant Hermes and Cassidy Johncox

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A ‘Breakdown of Trust’: Pandemic Corrodes Church-State Ties in Russia, Andrew Higgins

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Watch: Social distancing norms flouted as crowd welcomes Jain monk in MP, Hindustan Times

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Balancing Religious Freedoms and Public Health Protections During the COVID-19 Pandemic, James G. Hodge Jr., Hanna Reinke, and Claudia Reeves

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Muslims, Jews Have Higher COVID Death Rate, UK figures Indicate, Michael Holden and Mark Heinrich

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Physicians and Healers: A traditional perspective on COVID-19 (CORONA VIRUS), Walt Hollow; Richard Two Dogs; Chris Tall Bear; David Begay; Miguel Flores, Jr.; and Michelle Kahn-John

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CAIR Joins National Muslim Coalition Statement on Coronavirus/COVID-19 Pandemic Urging Mosques, Islamic Centers to Suspend All Non-Essential Gatherings, Ibrahim Hooper

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Native Healing Dance Offers Comfort During Crisis, Paige Hopkins

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American Muslims and COVID-19, Amir Hussain and Clare Castro

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Funeral Homes Guidance, Illinois Department of Public Health

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COVID-19 Guidance for Funeral Homes and Directors, Indiana State Department of Health

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COVID 19, Institute of Jainology

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Guidance for Spiritual and Religious Gatherings During COVID-19, Iowa Department of Public Health

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Islamic Society of Midwest-Chicago, Islamic Society of Midwest-Chicago

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COVID: Resources for information related to the Covid-19 virus, Islamic Society of North America

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Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Statement on the COVID-19 Pandemic, Chiko Iwagami and Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii

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Convent Outside Detroit Lost 13 Nuns to Covid-19 with 12 Dying in One Month, Amanda Jackson, Rebekah Riess, and Sharif Paget

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‘We Hope Normalcy Will Not Happen All of a Sudden’: Hindu leaders have an inclusive message for all Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, Meera Jagannathan

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High COVID-19 Attack Rate Among Attendees at Events at a Church — Arkansas, March 2020, Allison James, Lesli Eagle, Cassandra Phillips, D. Stephen Hedges, Cathie Bodenhamer, Robin Brown, J. Gary Wheeler, and Hannah Kirking

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Thousands Defy COVID-19 Lockdown Norms to Welcome Jain Monks in Madhya Pradesh as State Record 225 Coronavirus Deaths, Janta Ka Reporter

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With Coronavirus Infections Linked to Religious Gatherings, Debate Rages Over Worship Amid Pandemic, Jack Jenkins and National Catholic Reporter

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Passover in the Age of COVID-19: A guide, Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara

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Coronavirus Community Resources, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit

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‘Jewish Factor’ Declared to Explain Disproportionate Communal Covid-19 Deaths, Jewish News Reporter

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Small-Scale Hindu Temples Struggle to Cope with COVID-19 Restrictions, Meenketan Jha

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North Suburban Mosques Observe Ramadan Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, Jennifer Johnson, Steve Schering, and Chicago Tribune

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The Kung Fu Nuns Of Kathmandu, Windsor Johnston

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42 COVID Cases Linked to Christian Youth Camp in Gladwin County, Heather Jordan

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Is it Safe for Patients With COVID-19 to Fast in Ramadan?, Asli Kalin, Ammad Mahmood, Salman Waqar, Asim Yusuf, Nazim Ghouri, Naveed Sattar, and Tahseen Chowdhury

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DOJ: Mayor de Blasio Favored Protests Over Religious Freedoms During COVID-19 Shutdown, Paula Katinas

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Religious Leaders Thank Pence for Flexibility to Reopen but Urge Caution, KCRG-TV

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Inside the Fringe Japanese Religion That Claims It Can Cure Covid-19, Sam Kestenbaum

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Washing (Ghusl) of Coronavirus Victim, Abdur Rahman Khan

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Muslim Groups Join Forces to Raise $500,000 for Coronavirus Relief Grants, Aysha Khan

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Did the Quran Mention COVID-19 Pandemic? Medical and Sanitary Prophylaxis of this Disease, T. Khenenou, S. Laabed, O. Laabed, and Journal of Medical Biomedical and Applied Sciences

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COVID-19 Is a Devil Testing Organized Religion, Ed Kilgor

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Religion Helps Protect Against ‘Deaths of Despair’: Study, Kimmy and Steven Reinberg

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Funeral Homes Adapt Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Michael Krafcik

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'Every Step You Take is Prayer': As coronavirus spreads, women lead virtual dance for healing, Dan Kraker

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Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich Urges 'a New Sense of Solidarity' in face of COVID-19 pandemic, Alan Krashesky and Ross Weidner

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Mikvah Update, Chanie Krasnianski and Chabad Upper East Side

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How to Feed Crowds in a Protest or Pandemic? The Sikhs Know, Priya Krishna

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Buddhist Responses to COVID in Lumbini, Nepal, Amy Langenberg and The Jivaka Project

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The Buddhist Chaplains on the Front Lines of the Pandemic, Joanne Laurence

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Mass to Resume Wednesday at Wichita Catholic Churches, with Coronavirus Precautions, Dion Lefler

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Religion and Mental Health in the Age of COVID-19, Jeff Levin and Berkley Center- Georgetown University

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Senior Thai Monk Offers a Buddhist Perspective on Dealing with COVID-19, Craig Lewis and Somboon Chungprampree

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St. Louis Black Churches Consider Ways To Keep Congregants Safe In Midst Of Coronavirus, Marissanne Lewis-Thompson

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Plague and Punishment: When religion sided with science as a lesson for enduring, Phillip I. Lieberman, Milwaukee Independent, and The Conversation

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Midnight Ruling Exposes Rifts at a Supreme Court Transformed by Trump, Adam Liptak

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'It's Going to Be a Lot More Lonely.' A Dramatically Different Ramadan for U.S. Muslims Amid Coronavirus Lockdowns, Sanya Mansoor

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Church of God Denomination Facing Significant COVID-19 Outbreak; leaders won't say how many infected, Wyatt Massey

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On Religion: ‘Called’ to work on coronavirus front lines, Terry Mattingly and The Ukiah Daily Journal

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Promoting Mental Health During and After COVID-19: Tools for faith leaders, Mayor’s Office of ThriveNYC- City of New York

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COVID-19 Update, Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh Paula Brody & Family Education Center

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Dancing Between Light and Shadow – Increasing Awareness of the Impact of Covid 19 Disparities on Jews of Color, Yavilah McCoy and Jewish Philanthropy

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Jentezen Franklin, Trump Adviser and Prominent Georgia Pastor, Tests Positive for COVID-19, Emily McFarlan Miller

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Japanese Religious Responses to COVID-19: A preliminary report, Levi McLaughlin and The Asia-Pacific Journal

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Japanese Religious Responses to COVID-19: A preliminary report, Levi McLaughlin and The Asia-Pacific Journal

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Buddhist Responses to COVID-19 in Japan, Levi McLaughlin and The Jivaka Project

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Ahead of Trump Visit, Church Makes Unproven Claim of Virus-Killing Technology, Jennifer Medina and Kenneth Chang

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Meharry Medical College Partners with Black Churches to Expand COVID-19 Testing, Reduce Barriers, Holly Meyer

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Important Information About the Wallerstein Mikvah and COVID-19, Mikvah Emunah Society of Greater Washington

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Drive-Thru Communion? Remote Consecration? COVID-19 Sparks Eucharistic Experimentation – And theological debate, Egan Millard and David Paulsen

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What is Death?, B J. Miller and The New York Times

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As Depression, Anxiety, Grief Spike During Pandemic and Protest, Churches Offer Hope, Mental Health Resources, Emily McFarlan Miller

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Guidance for Gatherings: Faith-based communities, places of worship, and ceremonies, Minnesota Department of Health

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India's Media Must Promote Science, Not Superstition, in COVID-19 Fight, Raoof Mir and Nikkei Asian Review

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Religion as a Health Promoter During the 2019/2020 COVID Outbreak: View from Detroit, Stephen M. Modell and Sharon L.R. Kardia

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God Doesn’t Want Us to Sacrifice the Old, Russell Moore and The New York Times

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Saudi Arabia Must Suspend the Hajj: The presence of millions of pilgrims in Mecca and Medina will have lethal consequences., Ebrahim Moosa

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Michigan Tightens Time Frame for Handling Body After Death Amid Pandemic, Darcie Moran

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California limits church capacity to 25% for reopening, adds other restrictions, Monte Morin

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COVID-19 Restricts Africa's Ramadan Routine, Issac Mugabi

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Programs Which Foster Dignity and Hope in the Sacred Process of All Life- COVID-19 Update, Ann Nagle

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Patience, Sacrifice and Zakat: An Islamic response to coronavirus, Iqbal Nasim and Al Jazeera Media Network

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Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, Rev. Sharpton Calls Upon Faith Leaders to Discontinue Services Leading Into Easter, National Action Network

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Cremation & Burial, National Funeral Directors Association

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Indigenous Americans Must Not Once Again Pay the Price for the Mistakes of Others, Bryan Newland

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Ancient Vaccine for Covid-19, Joachim NG and The Sun Daily

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Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, Black Churches Aid Free Testing, Chris Norris and The Philadelphia Tribune

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This Week in Mormon Land: High hopes for missionaries, a COVID-19 warning, and more scrutiny on race, David Noyce

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The Indigenous Communities that Predicted COVID-19: For hundreds of years, indigenous groups have warned that destroying the environment leads to disease and adversely affects lives and culture. Is the world now ready to listen?, Rachel Nuwer

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San Antonio Food Bank Benefits from Sikh Philosophy of ‘Selflessness’, Tom Orsborn

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'A Dangerous Environment': As churches reopen, outbreaks are sprouting and some are keeping doors shut, Jorge L. Ortiz

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'A Dangerous Environment': As churches reopen, outbreaks sprout and some keep doors shut, Jorge L. Ortiz

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Is the Mikveh Safe From COVID-19? Some Women Opt for the Ocean, Kelsey Osgood

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Coronavirus: 'Religion helped me through lockdown', Manish Pandey

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Foundations’ Plan: $1,000 each for 1,000 nuns to allay COVID-19 impacts, Mark Pattison

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Haiti Voodoo Leaders Prepare Temples for Coronavirus Sufferers, Andre Paultre and Robenson Sanon

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COVID-19 Industry Guidance: Places of worship and providers of religious services and cultural ceremonies, Kaina Pereira, California Department of Public Health, and Cal/OSHA

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Campers Test Positive for COVID-19 After Attending Evangelical Youth Camp in Texas, Kathryn Post

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Jehovah’s Witnesses move global conventions online amid COVID-19 pandemic, Kathryn Post

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Flouting Social Distancing Guidelines, Crowd in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar Gathers on Street to Welcome Group of Jain Monks, Press Trust of India and First Post

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Social Welfare and the Coronavirus Crisis: A Buddhist Perspective, Tavivat Puntarigvivat and Berkley Center-Georgetown University

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Toward a Religious Ethic of Social Equity Through Maximum Productivity in a Post-Pandemic Era, Carl Raschke and Berkley Center-Georgetown University

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COVID-19 Crisis Provides Opportunities and Grace, Thomas Reese

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Cloistered Minnesota Nuns Share Thoughts on Handling social Isolation, John Reinan

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US Must Continue to Fund WHO, Religions For Peace USA