Kentucky’s places of worship will be treated as essential services during a state of emergency going forward.
Governor Andy Beshear signed a bill into law on Tuesday exempting places of worship from emergency measures unless they’ve become unsafe to a degree that would cause them to be condemned without a state of emergency.
The law says state and local governments can’t prohibit or restrict a religious organization from operating any more than they can any other organization or business that provides essential services. It doesn’t prevent Kentucky from requiring religious organizations to comply with health, safety, or occupancy requirements that are applicable to all organizations and businesses that provide essential services.