Kentucky’s churches are now expected to suspend in-person worship services, according to a joint order issued Thursday, March 19, by the state’s two top health officials.
Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack and acting secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Eric Friedlander issued a formal letter banning all mass gatherings.
It applies to faith-based groups, Gov. Andy Beshear’s office said in a news release.
Previously, the governor had asked churches to not meet for worship services as one of many responses to slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes the respiratory disease COVID-19. (On Thursday, local health officials announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Christian County.)
Some church leaders immediately heeded the governor’s warning about health risks associated with church gatherings and shifted to internet streaming services to deliver sermons. But many churches, including a number in Hopkinsville, did not follow the governor’s request and continued with services on Sunday, March 15.
“I am a person of deep faith, I am a deacon in my church and this is a hard decision,” Gov. Beshear said. “This is not a test of faith. This is something we must do to keep each other safe.”
Under the order outlined in the letter from Stack and Friedlander, all mass gatherings are prohibited.
The governor said mass gatherings include “any event or convening that brings together groups of individuals, including, but not limited to, community, civic, public, leisure, faith-based or sporting events; parades; concerts; festivals; conventions; fundraisers; and similar activities.”
(Jennifer P. Brown is the editor and founder of Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org.)
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
