Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 5, 2020 / 11:10 am
Churches in Dane County, Wisconsin, will be permitted to operate at 25% capacity, it was announced Friday, after the Diocese of Madison threatened to sue if previous reopening plans were not changed.
"Emergency Order #4 makes a clarification with respect to religious services," said a release from Dane County on Friday.
"Religious worship services will no longer be categorized as a 'mass gathering.' All restrictions applicable to businesses will continue to apply to religious services," they said.
The change was announced June 5, the deadline requested by a group of lawyers representing the Diocese of Madison. Had the county not changed its course, the Diocese of Madison was prepared to file a lawsuit against Dane County and the city of Madison arguing that county reopening plans to deal with the coronavirus pandemic violated religious freedom.