Officials in Kentucky will document the license plate numbers of individuals attending mass gatherings over Easter weekend and turn the information over to health officials, who will require the individuals to self-quarantine for 14 days, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced Friday.
Beshear sent the warning on Friday as a means to discourage parishioners from attending in-person religious services, or mass gatherings of any kind, over the weekend.
“Even on a weekend like this, we cannot have any in-person gatherings of any type,” Beshear said on Friday.
“We absolutely cannot bring people together in one building like that, because that is how the coronavirus spreads, and that is how people die,” the governor continued. “Understand that this is the only way that we can ensure that your decision doesn’t kill somebody else.”
He said that they “shouldn’t have to” take such extreme measures, adding, “I think it’s not a test of faith whether you’re going to an in-person service.”
“It’s a test of faith that you’re willing to sacrifice to protect your fellow man, your fellow woman, your fellow Kentuckian, and your fellow American,” the governor stated.
The vast majority of churches in the state are not holding in-person churches, although Beshear indicated that seven are still considering holding such services.
“The governor did not clarify how the state will verify which people were correctly identified as being at the mass gathering. He also said the quarantine does not apply to drive-in services complying with CDC guidelines,” WHAS reported.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron affirmed on Friday that he, personally, takes no issue with drive-in services as long as churchgoers adhere to the CDC’s social distancing guidelines.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer also advised against mass gatherings of any kind over the weekend, even in homes.
“It hurts me to say again that, in order to save lives, we must not gather for Easter this year,” Fischer said. “Not in groups in our homes. Not in public spaces. And we can’t gather in our houses of worship, either.”
Kentucky had 1,693 cases of the coronavirus as of Friday afternoon.
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