Facing several lawsuits, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office has walked back his restrictions on religious gatherings.
The Illinois Attorney General was due to respond to a lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday night when the Illinois Department of Public Health quietly released guidelines for places of worship to keep healthy in lieu of the restrictions included in Pritzker’s executive orders.
Pritzker was asked about the legal challenges Thursday afternoon.
He said the Attorney General’s office would be responding to the case.
In a release, the Thomas More Society called the reversal a victory for religious freedom. Attorney Peter Breen, also a Republican candidate for his former state House seat, said the governor was using the pandemic to “stomp on the religious liberty of the people of Illinois.”
Pritzker’s new guidance includes:
- Suggestions for safest services, including remote and drive-in services.
- Congregate outdoors, weather permitting.
- Wear face coverings, maintain social distancing, and sanitize surfaces.
- Refrain from singing and group citation, which they say “significantly increases the risk of transmission of the virus by projecting respiratory droplets.”
- Maintain groups of ten or fewer.
A public health official in Jackson County in Southern Illinois has blamed a local church for an uptick in COVID-19 cases since they continued operation in defiance of the governor’s orders.
Content courtesy of Illinois Radio Network.