RICHMOND, Va. -- As Virginia establishments are forced to shut their doors in the wake of COVID-19, worshipers are left wondering if their places of worship will still be able to hold service
On Monday, Gov. Ralph Northam ordered recreational and entertainment centers to close and announced stricter rules on how essential and non-essential businesses could operate. Retail stores must honor 10 patron limits, and Northam said that the same rules should apply to churches.
"Any time that there's a gathering of more than 10 people, we would certainly discourage that," Northam said when asked if churches would be able to hold services.
"Faith is very important to individuals, especially during these times. But we're asking churches to practice the same social distancing," Northam said. "I have talked to a lot of pastors across the Commonwealth, a lot of faith leaders, who are really being creative and innovative is how they're communicating with their church members."
Gov. Northam said that a meeting was scheduled with church leaders to discuss how to they could operate in their communities while practicing social distancing.
