City Drops 50-Person Limit on Church Services After Churches Stand Up for Religious Freedom
Jun 12, 2020
Outrage over a last-minute change to Dane County, Wisconsin health rules to limit attendance at religious services prompted a protest of nearly 200 Catholics who marched from the state Capitol to the City-County Building. Days later, the Public Health Department for the City of Madison and Dane County removed the 50-person cap on in-person religious services.
On May 28th, health officials notified the Diocese of Madison that it no longer classified churches as essential operations under its emergency coronavirus pandemic rules. The decision limited Mass attendance to 50 people, regardless of the size of the church building. Two global law firms, along with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, responded with a letter to the county explaining that the restrictions violated the First Amendment as well as the Wisconsin Constitution. It noted that houses of worship were being penalized and faced restrictions that were never imposed on secular activities, such as mass protests.
Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket stated, "Putting an arbitrary numerical cap on worship services while allowing thousands to protest makes no sense from a legal or public health perspective. Most other governments nationwide have already lifted their COVID-related restrictions on worship. The few remaining holdouts should take note and come into compliance with the First Amendment.”
In response, the Public Health Department of Dane County issued a joint press release with the City of Madison stating that churches who wished to have in-person services could do so up to 25 percent of their capacity. Catholic churches in Madison and Dane County will now conduct in-person Masses at the same capacity level as secular activities, but with even more rigorous social distancing and hygiene protocols.
News Sources:
City Drops 50-Person Limit on Church Services After Churches Stand Up for Religious Freedom
Wisconsin officials lift 50-person limit on church services
Wisconsin Churches Threatened With $1,000 Fines if They Hold In-Person Services With More Than 50 People
On May 28th, health officials notified the Diocese of Madison that it no longer classified churches as essential operations under its emergency coronavirus pandemic rules. The decision limited Mass attendance to 50 people, regardless of the size of the church building. Two global law firms, along with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, responded with a letter to the county explaining that the restrictions violated the First Amendment as well as the Wisconsin Constitution. It noted that houses of worship were being penalized and faced restrictions that were never imposed on secular activities, such as mass protests.
Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket stated, "Putting an arbitrary numerical cap on worship services while allowing thousands to protest makes no sense from a legal or public health perspective. Most other governments nationwide have already lifted their COVID-related restrictions on worship. The few remaining holdouts should take note and come into compliance with the First Amendment.”
In response, the Public Health Department of Dane County issued a joint press release with the City of Madison stating that churches who wished to have in-person services could do so up to 25 percent of their capacity. Catholic churches in Madison and Dane County will now conduct in-person Masses at the same capacity level as secular activities, but with even more rigorous social distancing and hygiene protocols.
News Sources:
City Drops 50-Person Limit on Church Services After Churches Stand Up for Religious Freedom
Wisconsin officials lift 50-person limit on church services
Wisconsin Churches Threatened With $1,000 Fines if They Hold In-Person Services With More Than 50 People
