Hillsong Church Defies COVID-19 Restrictions With Summer Camp: Maskless Youth Sing, Dance, Mingle

Government officials in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) were "completely shocked" after attendees of a local church's event this week allegedly broke lockdown rules.

Footage of Hillsong Church's multi-day youth camp at the Glenrock nature preserve in Newcastle showed attendees without masks singing and dancing inside a large tent while artists performed on stage, ABC reported.

The event was scheduled to run from Wednesday to Saturday, according to 7News.com.au, but health authorities reportedly demanded Thursday for the activities to be halted.

Singing and dancing at outdoor music festivals in NSW were banned Tuesday following changes to public health orders, which forced several events in the state to be canceled.

Large religious gatherings were not part of the restrictions, and Hillsong Church was able to continue with its event.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard explained that "while the order does not apply to religious services, it does apply to major recreation facilities."

"[T]his event is clearly in breach of both the spirit and intent of the order," Hazzard said.

Hillsong Church's decision to hold the event was "pure arrogance" and "an absolute slap in the face to the people that have lost work as a result of the current rules," said Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp.

"This is the exact behavior that health experts have deemed too risky at the moment, yet the organizers of this event seem to feel it's absolutely fine for them to do so," Crakanthorp was quoted as saying in another report by ABC.

Artists have also criticized Hillsong Church's event. Several claimed to have joined a "supergroup" called Thrillsong, which "only plays at churches and sporting events."

State Premier Dominic Perrottet, who described feeling "completely shocked" after seeing footage of Hillsong Church's event, expected a fine to be issued over the incident.

"I'll take the advice in relation to the legal teams at NSW Health and if they are in breach, which is what the information I've received from the Health Minister is, then a fine should be issued," Perrottet said.

The maximum penalty for a corporation breaching public health orders is AUD 55,000 ($39,985).

However, NSW Police have ruled out fining the organizers, according to a more recent story by 7News.com.au. No further information regarding the decision was released.

A spokesperson for the force initially said it would "liaise with organizers... to ensure future compliance with the public health orders after NSW Health deemed the location to be a major recreator facility."

In response to the criticism its event received, Hillsong Church claimed the summer camp was "not similar to a musical festival in any way."

The religious organization claimed that while "outdoor Christian services" involving singing were held during the camp, they were "a small part of the program."

Additionally, Hillsong Church alleged that the video of people without masks singing and dancing, shared on the organization's Instagram account, "reflected a few minutes" of that part of the program.

"We follow strict COVID procedures and adhere to government guidelines," the Hillsong Church said in a statement.

The organization allegedly provided rapid antigen tests and face masks, among other things.

NSW had a record 92,264 new coronavirus cases Thursday, which included positive rapid antigen test results for the first time.

Australia, overall, has reported 1,195,158 COVID-19 cases and 2,522 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to publicly available government data.