You can soon go to church in NC again, but only if it’s outdoors. Here are the rules.
When North Carolina moves into Phase One of Gov. Roy Cooper’s reopening strategy on Friday at 5 p.m., churches will once again be allowed to hold services — but only if they are outdoors.
The executive order Cooper signed on Tuesday exempts worship services from its mass gathering restrictions that ban groupings of more than 10 people. But those gatherings can’t occur inside because, the order says, “the risk of COVID-19 spread is much greater in an indoor setting.”
The current stay-at-home order, which state officials say have slowed the coronavirus spread and prevented a dangerous surge in North Carolina, only allowed drive-up worship services.
Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, said Tuesday the state has hit certain benchmarks related to the number of cases, hospitalizations and positive tests for COVID-19 to begin relaxing some restrictions.
So at 5 p.m. on Friday, the state will move into the first of a three-phase reopening plan.
Restrictions on worship were one of the complaints protesters raised in opposing how Cooper has managed the coronavirus pandemic in North Carolina.
Rep. Keith Kidwell, a Beaufort Republican member of the General Assembly, said Monday he was coordinating a lawsuit against Cooper for infringing people’s First Amendment right to worship. According to reporting in the NC Insider, Kidwell said he had 400 churches who agreed with filing the lawsuit.
“There’s a lot of upset people about the governor violating their constitutional right to go to church,” Kidwell said. “To me and I think to most Christians, we believe this is absolutely the time we should be in church. When there is a crisis or a situation in one’s life, you should be turning to God for direction and guidance and comfort, and we’re being prevented from doing that.”
Even as the new executive order allows outdoor services exceeding 10 people, worshipers are still must follow physical distancing recommendations by staying six feet apart and wearing a face covering. Those restrictions don’t apply to family or household members.
This story was originally published May 5, 2020 at 7:13 PM.