Catholic church experiencing half-empty mass service amid coronavirus outbreak
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- With the outbreak of COVID-19 and the pandemic it has caused in the United States, most places are canceling church and turning to live streaming.
Most churches in the Houston-area are deciding to hold its services online for members.
RELATED: Coronavirus leads Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to make changes to mass
This comes after the CDC recommended that gatherings of 250 people or more should be canceled and rescheduled to a later date, if possible.
But the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has recommended that Catholic churches continue with its regular mass schedule, with slight modifications.
WATCH: A parishioner says how the procedure of offerings was different at mass.
The modifications include: no communion, people who collect the offering have to wear gloves and no handing out donuts or coffee.
On Sunday, St. Michael the Archangel was half-empty during its mass service. About 60 people showed up to the service, which is usually packed.
The recommendations from the Archdiocese will affect 10 counties and about 1.8 million people in our area.
Other Archdiocese' like San Antonio and even Rome have chosen to cancel mass for the remainder of March.
They recommend that if you fall into a higher risk category to catch the coronavirus, you should stay home.
WATCH: A parishioner's reaction to how others are reacting to coronavirus
