Pastor Who Violates COVID-19 Rules Was Arrested
Pastor Who Violates COVID-19 Rules Was Arrested
Most churches have transitioned to virtual services during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep church members safe and to follow the ordnances according to their state or county. However, some churches are still worshiping in person regardless of the dangers it could pose to those in attendance. Rodney Howard-Browne, a pastor of a megachurch in Tampa Bay, Florida, decided that his church was an essential business and he was arrested. This means he ignored the Florida’s safer-at-home order which is intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
According to the Associated Press, “The county and governor’s orders require gatherings, including those held by faith-based groups, be fewer than 10 people to limit the spread of COVID-19. A live stream of Sunday’s three-and-a-half-hour church service showed scores of congregants.” In a statement provided by the Liberty Council, it noted that The River Church took many precautions before the service, such as enforcing the six-foot social distancing recommendation, the staff wears gloves, each person that entered the church received hand sanitizer, and “the church spent $100,000 on a hospital-grade purification system set up throughout the church that provides continuous, infectious microbial reduction (CIMR) that is rated to kill microbes, including those in the Coronavirus family.” This should be interesting how this unfolds and impacts church services across the United States.
(Source) For the full story from the AP, click here. For the statement from Liberty Counsel, click here.
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