Fort Worth amends coronavirus order to allow in-person worship service
Houses of worship may again hold in-person services in Fort Worth, though it is strongly discouraged.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said Thursday that she would issue a new order bringing the city’s emergency coronavirus declaration in line with Gov. Greg Abbott’s Texas-wide edict, effective at midnight Friday. Though Price said more information about the order would be available Friday, ahead of the weekend, Fort Worth’s disaster declaration was updated Thursday, stripping language that banned in-person worship.
Despite allowing in-person service, the order “strongly recommends” worship continue remotely.
For weeks the city had banned services as part of a larger effort to curb the novel coronavirus. Since Fort Worth continues to have substantial community spread of the dangerous virus, gatherings of any kind have been banned through April 30.
Earlier this week, however, Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton issued updated guidance on statewide orders that clarified that local governments “may not prohibit people from providing or obtaining those religious services.”
“Local government may not close houses of worship,” the order said.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 7:40 PM.
