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* My weekly syndicated column was submitted to newspapers on Friday afternoon, which now seems like almost an eternity ago…
In the period just before and after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his first stay-at-home order in March, houses of worship in Illinois reportedly experienced 13 COVID-19 outbreaks, resulting in 88 cases.
Since then, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois has seen no such outbreaks — until one was revealed last week. IDPH told me of a very recent church-related outbreak of 39 cases, including the pastor.
That outbreak was acknowledged last Wednesday by the administrator of the Jackson County Health Department. The administrator told WSIU Radio that the unnamed Southern Illinois church had been holding services in defiance of the governor’s stay-at-home order.
And now, you gotta figure more church-related outbreaks could happen if people aren’t careful.
Pritzker told reporters last week that his administration will be posting “guidance, not mandatory restrictions, for all faith leaders to use in their efforts to ensure the health and safety of their congregants.” He said the guidance would be “suggestions” on capacity limits, indoor gatherings of 10 persons or less, etc.
“Governor Pritzker has capitulated, and the Thomas More Society is claiming victory in a trio of church lawsuits charging Illinois’ governor with religious discrimination,” a spokesperson for the organization said.
And then Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed his office’s response, mandated by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, to an emergency request by two Illinois churches that wanted the governor’s restrictions lifted. In that response, Raoul claimed the two churches’ filing was basically moot because the governor’s executive order would expires the next day.
“The governor, Raoul wrote, “has announced that after that date religious gatherings will no longer be subject to mandatory restrictions.”
The governor’s subsequent order specifically says it “does not limit the free exercise of religion.”
Pritzker has always predicted ultimate victory in every case filed against his stay-at-home order, and his office pushed back against suggestions that he has capitulated to churches. But the demand from Kavanaugh, a Trump nominee, may have spooked him.
Either way, nobody wants to make arrests or create a martyr, particularly a religious martyr. And most religious denominations will be complying with the new guidance. As for those who won’t listen, there’s not much anyone can do outside of law enforcement, and local sheriffs would likely resist orders to put preachers in jail.
Best to just declare victory and move on. If there are more outbreaks like those before the stay-at-home order was issued, perhaps church leaders and their congregations will eventually learn from it.
Meanwhile, the governor appears to be pushing ahead into the even less restrictive Phase 4 of his “Restore Illinois” plan next month without first setting up a robust contact tracing program.
For weeks and weeks, Pritzker’s “Three T’s” have been: Testing, Tracing and Treatment. The state, he has said, can’t do much about developing a treatment for COVID-19, but he has pledged to ramp up the state’s testing and contact tracing program.
Pritzker has done well with testing, but he didn’t hire anyone to set up a contact tracing program until early May, and he appeared in East St. Louis near the end of May to showcase the start of a local pilot project.
The governor’s Restore Illinois plan explicitly states that one condition for the state’s four IDPH regions moving into Phase 4 by the end of June is: “Begin contact tracing and monitoring within 24 hours of diagnosis for more than 90% of cases in region.”
On Wednesday, the governor said, “We’re at about 30 percent of the contact tracing that we need today.” The governor’s office claims they’re actually above that right now, but Pritzker repeated that figure on Friday.
And then Pritzker said, “we’re going to get to hopefully about 60-plus percent, it’s going to take us weeks and weeks, I can’t tell you how long, I mean some people think it will take through August to do it.”
One issue, the governor said, is that contact tracing cannot be mandated. A quick foray into social media will show you how insane the ever-growing conspiracy theories have become on this particular topic.
Anyway, my colleague Hannah Meisel asked Pritzker yesterday whatever happened to that 90 percent target. “Those are, I guess, internal goals,” the governor replied.
I was told by the governor’s office that Pritzker wants to focus on readily quantifiable, health-related goals. Contact tracing is apparently no longer essential.
Not to mention that Chicago isn’t scheduled to have its contact tracing fully operational until sometime in September. The city won’t want to be left behind.
* Since then…
The Supreme Court on Friday turned away a request from a church in California to block enforcement of state restrictions on attendance at religious services.
The vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining the court’s four-member liberal wing to form a majority.
“Although California’s guidelines place restrictions on places of worship, those restrictions appear consistent with the free exercise clause of the First Amendment,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote in an opinion concurring in the unsigned ruling.
“Similar or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie showings, spectator sports and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time,” the chief justice wrote. “And the order exempts or treats more leniently only dissimilar activities, such as operating grocery stores, banks and laundromats, in which people neither congregate in large groups nor remain in close proximity for extended periods.”
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:14 am
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Super glad the Supreme Court stood up for the rights of the governors to defend oir communities against the real menace stalking our streets - swarms of infectious churchgoers who might sing or pray too vociferously.
Well done.
Comment by JB13 Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:23 am
It’s sad that we’ve given up on fighting this virus. More needless death to come.
Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:30 am
“… perhaps church leaders and their congregations will eventually learn from it.”
I grew up around a lot of small town evangelical churches. You’re a lot more hopeful than I am, Rich.
Comment by Lynn S. Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:32 am
==I was told by the governor’s office that Pritzker wants to focus on readily quantifiable, health-related goals. Contact tracing is apparently no longer essential.
Not to mention that Chicago isn’t scheduled to have its contact tracing fully operational until sometime in September. The city won’t want to be left behind.==
Good call, governor. The reopen stages now seem sadly moot in the region surrounding Chicago after this weekend. The demonstrations that then too often turned into looting parties demonstrate how difficult the idea of generalized contact tracing would have been.
Comment by Responsa Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:35 am
In my opinion, contact tracing will no longer be deemed essential because too many will resist it as an infringement of constitutional rights.
Trace as best we can and hope for the best.
Comment by Hamlet's Ghost Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:39 am
@Precinct Captain,
Read an article late last week, talking about how fatalistic many evangelicals and their churches are.
Basically, evangelicism edging awfully close to the Republican death cult.
“But abortion…and Obama and Hillary Clinton wanted death panels.”
From where I sit, sure seems like they don’t love their fellow men and women like they say they do.
Comment by Lynn S. Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:39 am
There’s been an awful lot of footage over the last week or so of law enforcement all over the country and in Illinois interacting with members of the public in large group settings without wearing N95 respirators to protect them, their colleagues, their families, and the public at large from COVID-19.
Though thankfully they do wear a mask that is protective from COVID-19 when they utilize tear gas, but thankfully not all of their interactions have involved tear gas.
I understand that churches are gathering places where we can all take pause for concern about becoming the epic enter for COVID-19 infections throughout our state, but I think a strong indicator of the failure of our abilities to address this public health crisis is the sheer number of public employees that are on our payroll that don’t seem to bother.
Exploring why that it is could be an excellent doctoral topic someday. The motives behind churches are much easier to understand — for some it is a legitimate belief, for others it is a matter of the reduced tithing that comes from empty offering plates. Whether spiritual or economic we can at least understand the motives, even if foolish.
But what about our law enforcement officers?
Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:44 am
You’re right, Precinct Captain: It does feel like people have just given up on this thing. Such a shame that our collective willpower is so weak. Maybe that’s amplified by the confusion and frustration caused by having such a fragmented response, with no overall leadership. Federalism is a great principle, but sometimes a united joint effort is required. Personally, I think we’re in for more trouble starting in about a month or so, and in some places that’s already happening. More needless suffering and death.
Comment by Flapdoodle Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:46 am
Lynn S. beat me to it.
Waiting for evangelical Baptists and Penecosts to admit they were wrong may take until the, uh, rapture.
Comment by efudd Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 9:54 am
Snake handlers literally view dying from snake bite as an affirmation of their faith, regardless of how directly it contradicts the core article of said faith. I’m sure some churches will learn their viral lesson, but some will choose not to.
Comment by Threepwood Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 10:01 am
== perhaps church leaders and their congregations will eventually learn from it. ==
We’ll see. Our church partially reopened with measures but I didn’t feel comfortable with their spacing plans … every other pew which isn’t 6 feet … so we decided to stay home when I couldn’t change the pastor’s mind on that.
Comment by RNUG Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 10:07 am
efudd, $5 says it won’t even happen a million years after the Rapture.
“Because, obviously, those folks weren’t true Christians. If they had been, Jeezus would have protected them.” /s
Comment by Lynn S. Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 10:16 am
Whenever I see the churches leading the charge to get opened up full well aware of the risks, I can only think of the scene from Full Metal Jacket where the drill sergeant says “Why does God love the Marines so? Because we give him so many fresh souls!”
Comment by The Way I See It Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 10:19 am
I was disappointed that the Governor after holding out as long as he did couldn’t wait for the ruling and decided to cut his losses…
Narrator: the Governor won
… and decide to reward these few churches by looking at the odds, and bet on the possibility others, some who showed up a court, not socially distancing, without masks, to do right.
And let me be very clear, I’m not having another “whataboutism” with protestors. K? I’m not. Stop.
That’s a whole different animal, and frankly, after these past 3 days and the days going forward, society needs to look at this pandemic well outside church services, going to Olive Garden, or golfing.
So, my take is my take, within the very narrow of church, and is most likely a moot point, and the health professionals are likely to be overwhelmed by so many things now, the churches will answer to their congregations for their health, or not.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 10:30 am
===the churches will answer to their congregations for their health, or not. ===
I am anticipating a sudden rise in old school Calvinism.
Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 10:54 am
If there are additional outbreaks that can be traced back to congregate church services, at least people will have been warned and that on multiple occasions.
What else can the Governor do, realistically?
Let’s hope (pray) there aren’t too many cases of community spread, especially in rural regions.
Comment by dbk Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 11:41 am
Sadly, as a friend of mine and I say, “Common sense is no longer common”. I mean, I’m seeing more and more people in stores (customers and employees) with no masks, or noses hanging out) or even yelling at employees who tell them to put on a face covering. Nor is there any common sense in the “freedom to spread disease” and anti-vaccine arguments. And it’s been proven several times that churches aren’t immune to Covid-19 (I leave the theological concerns elsewhere), but hey we want what we want when we want it, and enforcement is lax at best due politicians not wanting to be labeled ‘Nazi’ or ‘Gestapo”, so the end result is no surprise….*sigh*
Comment by revvedup Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 1:09 pm
While I am disappointed that the Governor tends to cave on these things when the rubber hits the road, Kavanaugh was a bad draw. He showed his real thoughts when he dissented in the Roberts ruling, saying churches are being discriminated against because they are equivalent to supermarkets. Given the lack of thought and logic there, I grieve that my country is subject to his nonsensical opinions for the next 40 years.
Comment by Jibba Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 1:24 pm
“Waiting for evangelical Baptists and Penecosts to admit they were wrong…”
They will never admit being wrong. They will cherry pick some other bible verse to justify their behavior.
Comment by Huh? Monday, Jun 1, 20 @ 5:35 pm