Other NC county sheriffs won’t enforce limits on church attendance amid coronavirus

A second and third North Carolina sheriff said they will not enforce the North Carolina stay-at-home order that limits church attendance amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Lee County Sheriff Tracy Carter said in a Facebook post Thursday that it was up to churches to decide how to assemble and that he and his deputies will not disrupt any services.

“In regards to places of worship and being able to assemble, I believe that is the church’s decision to make and not mine or anyone else’s,” the Facebook post says. “Our churches have been following the guidelines that were set for weeks now and I believe that they know how to safely operate. At NO time will I nor my deputies interfere with a church service and make them disperse as this is unconstitutional.”

Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats said on Facebook that he will not disperse crowds at churches.

“I want to make my stance on this perfectly clear to the citizens of Harnett County,” he said in the post. “I will NOT send a Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle (the same vehicle that I had “In God We Trust” placed on) to your place of worship and unconstitutionally order that you disperse. That will not happen as long as I am the Sheriff of Harnett County. That is my promise to you.”

Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order limits indoor attendance at worship services to 10 people in a room, unless sticking to that limit is impossible. Churches have been encouraged to hold services outdoors or stream them online.

Carter is the second sheriff in two days to say he will not enforce the church attendance limit. He follows Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell’s announcement Wednesday, The News & Observer reported.

Cooper spoke about religious faith at a press briefing Thursday, urging congregations to consider whether holding indoor services is the right thing to do.

The coronavirus can spread in places where people sit close together for hours, he said. Cooper said he appreciated people’s sacrifices. “We can only beat COVID-19 if we work together,” he said.

Also on Thursday, churchgoers rallied in downtown Raleigh to protest Cooper’s worshipping orders.

This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Other NC county sheriffs won’t enforce limits on church attendance amid coronavirus."