An unknown person spread nails in front of a Kentucky church that defied the directives of the state governor and held an Easter service during the ongoing pandemic.
Gov. Andy Beshear’s order had prohibited all mass gatherings in the state.
The nails were spread from the parking lot to the entrance of the church located in Louisville.
A notice warning the church of “further enforcement measures” if they didn’t quarantine themselves for the next two weeks was also left on the windshields.
“No one is being charged with anything,” the notice added.
Gov. Beshear banned all mass gatherings in the state, saying: “Those that want to have mass gatherings send out a signal all around the country to those that don’t think this virus is serious, that don’t follow the rules and then want to come to a place to make their point.”
Steven Stack, Kentucky’s Health Commissioner, reiterated the governor’s concerns, saying: “At what point do our rights to gather entitle us to have other people die as a result?”
Beshear said on Saturday: “To our knowledge, 99.89% of all churches and all synagogues and all mosques in Kentucky have chosen to do the right thing.
“I’m just doing my best to save lives. And there aren’t easy answers.”
The governor warned Maryville’s pastor Jack Roberts not to hold mass gatherings in a statement on April 4.
“If you’re still holding mass gatherings, church or otherwise, you are spreading the coronavirus. And you are likely causing the death of Kentuckians. It’s that clear,” Beshear said.
However, Roberts refused to comply with the governor’s directives, calling them to be at odds with the constitutional rights provided to the citizens of the US.
“If you read the Constitution of the United States, if you read the constitution of the state of Kentucky, they both say that (Beshear) is infringing on the church’s rights,” Roberts said.
He added that he’s in contact with a national Christian organization who is “in the process shortly of filing a lawsuit” against the Beshear administration.
As of Easter Sunday, 1,963 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Kentucky, with the death toll standing at 97.
Gov. Beshear said: “We’re getting very close to that 2,000 mark, but here in Kentucky, we’re still not seeing the type of increases that we’re seeing in other states and we are very grateful for that.”
Replaced!