Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned against “packed” religious gatherings in the state, with major Christian and Jewish holidays taking place this month. Florida’s stay-at-home order provides an exemption for religious services.

“We want people during this time to be spiritually together, but to remain socially distant,” DeSantis said during a roundtable event Monday. Passover, a major Jewish holiday, will take place between April 8 and 16, while Easter is on April 12.

DeSantis still believes that religious services can be held, as long as people are “spread out far enough.” Other states have struggled to deal with churches where large groups of people still gather.

The mega Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, for example, still holds Sunday services and refuses to shut down, causing tension with the state government.

“Any pastor who brings people together in close proximity to each other, a large group of people, is making a huge mistake,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. “It is not a Christian thing to do. It is not in the Judeo-Christian tradition to hurt people.”

“We agree that we must all comply with Governor DeWine’s administrative order and we are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of anyone who comes to Solid Rock Church,” the church said on its website. “We have scaled back our normal services; and there are not large numbers of worshipers in the facility, but we are open and continuing to practice and sustain our faith.”

President Trump, who has often tried to win over the evangelical community, has promoted virtual church services amid the pandemic.

Trump said last weekend that he was “tuning in” to watch a church service streaming online at Harvest Christian Fellowship in southern California for Palm Sunday.

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