Below is an appeal letter to Governor Newsom that I sent just now that urges him to allow places of worship to remain open. Governor Newsom: I write to you today to urge you to allow places of worship to remain open under safety guidelines. As you may know, mental health has been a great concern during this pandemic. Talk to any mental health professional, social worker, pastor, or school teacher, and you will learn the impact this has had on our emotional well-being. In our church alone, we have seen the tragic emotional consequences of the pandemic. This impact is not, however, limited to anecdotes. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in mid-August that anxiety- and depression-related symptoms “increased considerably” in the United States between April and June of this year, with “40.9 percent of respondents [having] reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition,” including a ten-percent increase in thoughts of suicide compared to the