Most people butcher the Catholic position on faith/works. Nowhere does the Church teach that works outside of sanctifying grace are profitable towards a persons salvation. Only when works are joined to Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross are they said to contain any merit since they are done by and through the saving grace of God. This is why Christ says "without him you can do nothing" meaning nothing that is salvific. Sure you can still do good works but those works are only considered natural and the same type of works that even "the heathans do".
As for the media, yes being in riots and stores increase your chances of being infected but I think there is a greater chance in a Church since it's in an enclosed area for usually an hour or more. If churches decide to hold service/mass/divine liturgy then they should do so at a lower capacity to allow for social distancing. I have sympathy though for Catholic/Orthodox Christians since telling them to not go to mass/divine liturgy is the equivalent of telling a Jewish person to not visit the temple during passover back when there was a temple.