Although going to church has essentially been a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Mark Gordon said the day is coming when larger groups of people can attend church service.
Gordon, in a press conference Friday, was asked why people were allowed to go to a hardware store but not allowed to attend church.
“People can go to church,” Gordon said, thereby acknowledging that his health orders do not prohibit people from entering a church but do not allow people to congregate in groups of more than 10 people in a church.
So how can things be fast-tracked to allow a larger gathering in a house of worship?
Gordon said a county variance might be the solution and asked State Health Director Dr. Alexia Harrist to expand.
“There may be places — based on the epidemiology or the outbreak of the situation at the time — that some of these types of gatherings may be more safe to have,” Harrist said. “And we are certainly considering this in the countywide variances.”
She said the original prohibition was due to how the coronavirus works.
“Gatherings of multiple people in closed proximity with each other is unfortunately a very effective way to spread the virus to many people at one time,” she said.
Gordon said that he was working on next steps for faith groups and urged patience until then.
“Patience is really a virtue. It’s really a virtue at this time. We all want to get back up and running. I understand your anxiousness. But just bear with us because we are getting there,” he said.
