For many faith groups in Kansas, religious services already have moved online or to the airwaves under the leadership of church officials.
For those who didn’t, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a new executive order placing faith groups and funeral services under the same 10-person limit as other gatherings. The order goes into effect at 12:01 p.m. Wednesday.
The timing of the order is just before Holy Week, Easter and Passover services this week.
The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Kansas rose to 900 on Tuesday morning, the governor said, including 27 deaths. There are positive cases in 57 of the 105 counties.
At 3:10 p.m. Tuesday, Wyandotte County reported 194 positive cases, with 10 total deaths.
Holy Week is underway, and with Kansas approaching a peak in the coming weeks, the risk of COVID-19 cases through additional church gatherings is especially dangerous, Gov. Kelly said. She said the action taken brings her sadness.
The governor mentioned three clusters of churches or religious gatherings where COVID-19 has spread in Kansas, comprising 25 percent of the clusters being tracked by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Three church meetings were in Wyandotte County before the stay-at-home orders went into effect on March 24. The church gatherings did not violate the law. According to the Unified Government Health Department’s Facebook page, the three church-related clusters were the Ministers Conference at Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ March 16-22; a gala on March 14 at Rising Star Baptist Church; and the Power Realm Church of God in Christ, all in Wyandotte County.
Gov. Kelly said she consulted with the emergency management team, state Health Department and local leaders to issue the new executive order.
“My action today does not ban funerals from taking place or religious gatherings,” Gov. Kelly said. “I’m wholly committed to protecting Kansas’ religious liberty as governor. Both attending and conducting religious services remains a designated essential function and cannot be prohibited by local orders. Gatherings must simply be limited to 10 individuals at a time.”
Also, all present at the services must adhere to appropriate safety protocols including social distancing and hygiene, she said.
Gov. Kelly said she encouraged all faith leaders to use methods that do not involve in-person congregations.
“This was a difficult decision and could not come at a more disappointing time,” Gov. Kelly said.
Kansans rely on faith leaders for counsel and support especially during difficult times, and especially during Holy Week, she said.
She said she spoke with faith leaders in Kansas and was told that many had already recognized the danger of celebrating with in-person services, and have implemented alternatives. She said churches are livestreaming services, and holding services in parking lots with people staying in cars.
She said thousands of others, including those not actively religious, were affected with the postponement of Easter egg hunts, big dinners with family and friends, and baskets of candy, customs that have all been put on pause, she noted. There was no Easter egg hunt at the governor’s residence this year, she added.
Gov. Kelly also said she does not plan to attend Easter services in person this year.
“These mitigation efforts are a primary defense against COVID-19,” she said. “If we’ve learned anything in the past few weeks, it’s that physical distance does not keep us apart.”
In Wyandotte County, the original local stay-home order did include a 10-person limit on gatherings including church services and funeral services. Then the local order was overridden by the governor’s original order, which specified social distancing but did not give a number limit on church and funeral gatherings. Other groups were limited to 10 in the original governor’s order. In Wyandotte County’s original order, churches were not listed as essential, but they are essential in the governor’s order. The new guidance from KDHE stated that if they are more restrictive, local orders now will override the state’s orders.
Today’s action brings the churches and funerals under the same 10-person limit as other gatherings in the state, according to the governor. The governor’s new order stated that the order prohibits gatherings of more than 10 congregants or parishioners in the same building or same space. Those conducting the service, including ministers, choir, readers and liturgists, may exceed 10 if they maintain a six-foot distance and follow directives on hygiene, according to the new order.
To view the new Executive Order 20-18, visit https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20-18-Executed.pdf.
To see the governor’s news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/790101771515530/ .
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued new guidance on churches, posted at https://www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus/toolkit/Church_Sevices_Guidance.pdf.
The state’s COVID-19 website is at https://govstatus.egov.com/coronavirus.
The Wyandotte County COVID-19 website is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
