Coronavirus: Church Services Held Over Radio In The Santa Clarita Valley

SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA) -- The faithful are having to be flexible in how they worship amid restrictions for religious services during the coronavirus pandemic.

In the Santa Clarita Valley Saturday night, programming on KHTS radio, typically a country music station, turned to faith.

For 30 minutes, radio listeners tuned in to pray and sing and together -- from the safety of their cars.

The program was dedicated to health care workers, first responders and city leaders, with local pastors as the hosts.

"It was a moment of pause and reflection," said Jeri Goldman of KHTS Radio.

Goldman's husband Carl had tested positive for coronavirus after a cruise in February.

The couple was quarantined for weeks on a ship and then in a Nebraska medical facility.

Carl said he's the longest quarantine patient in the country and wrote about his experiences daily for the radio station's website.

"I think when you have uncertain times, people do turn to faith," said Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth. "To have a way to connect with your church and be able to do it safely is really something creative and special."

For the past couple of weeks, churches across Southern California and nationwide have switched to online services. Many people are expected to tune in Sunday for Easter services.