Georgia churches were allowed to hold in-person services under Gov. Brian Kemp's reopening measures, but many remained closed anyway.
Smith said in the releaseThe Catholic Dioceses in Georgia said Thursday in a statement that it is “not authorizing the return to congregating at churches or making our churches available for devotions” through May.
Many priests and parishioners may fall into a high-risk category for the virus, the dioceses said, and if social distancing guidelines change significantly they will “reexamine” the possibility of congregating. The North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church said in a statement April 20 that it was advising churches not to gather through May 13 "as we do our best to do no harm."
Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, Presiding Prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, issued a directive to more than 520 churches Tuesday prohibiting gatherings for services on Sunday, calling Kemp’s decision “unacceptable.”, in which President Anthony Booker, Pastor Charles Goodman Jr. and Pastor Karlton Howard urged residents to heed warnings from medical experts and stay home.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms expanded that message beyond houses of worship. She regularly posts the latest confirmed case numbers and death total in the state on her verified Twitter account and, on Friday, she posted a message alongside an image of the day’s statistics.
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