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Los Angeles Fines Church Challenging Coronavirus Restrictions

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September 9, 2020

Los Angeles County fined the church locked in a legal struggle with the county $1,000 for allegedly misplacing signs regarding coronavirus guidelines.

The signs at Grace Community Church, which are required by local law, asked congregants not to enter the church if they had an elevated temperature, a cough, or flu-like symptoms. The county, however, said the signs were not placed at both the front and the back of the building, and failed to order attendees to wear masks and socially distance while inside.

The fine is the latest in an ongoing battle with the church, which filed a lawsuit against the county over restrictions on in-person worship. Last month the county evicted the church from a parking lot that it had leased for decades.

Los Angeles County did not respond to a request for comment. The fine, first reported on Todd Starnes's radio show, was confirmed to the Free Beacon by Grace Community Church.

A judge ruled earlier this summer that the church is allowed to hold in-person worship while the constitutional questions surrounding the case are adjudicated. Hearings for the case were held on Sept. 4, and the judge's decision is expected by the end of next week.

Grace's pastor, John MacArthur, said last month that there is no coronavirus pandemic and claimed that an accurate reading of CDC data shows fewer than 10,000 deaths from the disease.