Hillsong Church accused of flouting Covid restrictions

Scandal-plagued Hillsong Church is once once more in incredibly hot water, this time for exploiting a COVID exemption for Australian religious institutions. 

The megachurch has been reprimanded by regional government office the New South Wales Ministry of Wellness for making it possible for young parishioners to sing and dance at its yearly youth camp.

Singing and dancing are currently banned in general public venues in New South Wales as a Covid precaution, but religious establishments are exempt. 

However, footage recently posted to Hillsong’s social media accounts of the camp display persons accomplishing substantially more than accumulating for prayer, which was all the exemption was intended to safeguard.

As an alternative, videos confirmed maskless teenage attendees dancing to non-devotional pop tunes, according to the Guardian.

“While the buy does not use to religious solutions, it does utilize to major recreation amenities and this function is obviously in breach of both the spirit and intent of the get, which is in area to help hold the neighborhood safe,” New South Wales wellness minister Brad Hazzard explained in a statement Thursday evening, the Guardian reported. 

“Singing and dancing in hospitality venues and nightclubs is deemed significant threat owing to increased movement and mingling inside and throughout these venues, the impact of liquor intake, and the removal of masks in these options to consume foodstuff and consume,” an NSW Health and fitness spokesperson explained to the Australian Tuesday of the rule’s logic. “People attending religious expert services frequently stay in mounted positions and masks are mandatory for these indoor gatherings.”

When achieved for comment by the Guardian, a Hillsong spokesperson insisted the child program was not a secular dance romp.

“These events are our annual superior school-aged youth camps, and are not equivalent to a music competition in any way,” explained the spokesperson. “Outdoor Christian expert services are held during the camp but these are only a modest element of the program… and any singing is only a compact part of every service (a video clip circulating on social media these days demonstrates a handful of minutes of this portion of the plan).”

Hillsong did not immediately return The Post’s ask for for comment.