Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 8, 2020 / 14:10 pm
The Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, said that the Church must return to "normal life" after the governor announced plans to ban large gatherings until a COVID-19 vaccine or treatment is available.
Earlier in the week, the state's Governor JB Pritzker unveiled a five-phase "Restore Illinois" plan that bans gatherings of more than 50 people until a vaccine or treatment is available, or the virus has stopped spreading for a sustained period of time. Health officials have said that a vaccine for the new coronavirus (COVID-19) might not be available for 12 to 18 months.
Currently, people in the state are allowed to attend religious services of 10 or fewer people, but no gatherings of more than 10 people are permitted until phase 4 of Pritzker's plan, and the state wouldn't even be able to "advance" to phase 3 until May 29.
"The Church has certainly done her part in making great sacrifices to slow the spread of this virus," Andrew Hansen, director of communications for the diocese of Springfield, Illinois, told CNA on Friday.