HOUSTON – (March 23, 2020) – With local and state government officials restricting large public gatherings and President Trump urging Americans to limit their gatherings to fewer than 10 people during the novel coronavirus outbreak, houses of worship all over the country are streaming services online.

Even a reduced service can ease "the sense of loneliness," said William Martin, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Streaming services "reduces the sense of 'this is a strange, strange time'" by reassuring worshippers that "there are people still taking care of us. We’re still part of a community."

Martin is available to talk about faith in the time of the coronavirus with news media.