SC churches weren’t forced to close during COVID; this bill would ensure they never have to
Religious services performed in South Carolina would be allowed to go on, as long as other essential services could continue, during a state of emergency under a proposal that took its first steps in the Senate Tuesday.
The bill, H. 3105, has already passed out of the House, and was advanced by the bipartisan Senate Judiciary subcommittee with unanimous support.
State Rep. Richie Yow, R-Chesterfield, proposed the legislation after hearing from several religious and conservative leaders about the difficulty they faced when trying to hold and attend religious services during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when several non-essential businesses were told to close.
Gov. Henry McMaster never closed religious services under his state of emergency, but churches were forced to innovate to continue holding worship services, proponents said.
Specifically, the bill prohibits the state from closing churches and other houses of worship during a state of emergency if other essential services are allowed to continue operating. However, the state would be allowed to require religious organizations to follow safety protocols and occupancy rules during emergencies.
Tony Foster, the pastor at Restoration Worship Center in Greenwood, said his church had to close its doors for in-person services for two months in 2020 while other businesses, deemed essential, got to stay open.
“The whole idea that came across is ... that everything else, like grocery stories, were essential, but churches aren’t,” Foster said.
Foster said churches and houses of religious are most important during times of need.
“People need faith,” Foster said. “In a time of upheaval and oppression, people need faith.”
Mitch Prosser, the vice president of conservative group Palmetto Family, called religion an essential service.
“We need the church for community involvement, addiction, for broken people,” Prosser said. “The church is essential.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 11:50 AM with the headline "SC churches weren’t forced to close during COVID; this bill would ensure they never have to."
