By Taylor Wooten 
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS — In a week where Indiana saw some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, Attorney General Curtis Hill criticized St. Joseph County health officials for asking churches to worship remotely until March.

Friday, the Indiana State Department of Health reported that 2,519 Hoosiers have been diagnosed with the highly contagious novel coronavirus for a total of 157,713 people who have been sickened. That follows Thursday’s all-time high of 2,880 people who have been infected.

Deaths have been steadily climbing, too, with 27 additional Hoosiers who died as of Friday, according to the health department. With Thursday’s count of 42 new deaths, the total number of Hoosiers who have died is 3,858 while another 234 people have COVID-19 listed as a probable cause because of their symptoms at the time of death.

Hill, in an advisory opinion issued Friday, said a letter from the St. Joseph County Health Department to area churches was threatening. In his response, Hill asserts that limiting churches to remote services for five months puts a substantial burden on the religious freedom of Hoosiers.

The notice from the county’s department of health, released on Oct. 13, refers to five clusters of COVID-19 cases that were traced back to local churches.

“With the arrival of cooler weather and the traditional influenza season looming on the horizon, we write this letter to urge all faith communities in St. Joseph County to pivot to online or virtual worship formats from now through March 2021,” the letter said.

The letter, which came from St. Joseph County health professionals, cites the 1,249 active cases in the county, which is 460 cases per 100,000 residents on Oct. 13.

But Hill, in his opinion, wrote, “Unless you have actual evidence justifying the need to target churches for closure—i.e., something other than the ‘not conclusive’ study your letter cites—I advise you to cease from threatening congregations who do not comply with your demands or my office will be ‘compelled to act.’”

Dr. Mark Fox, a St. Joseph County health official, in an email response, said Hill’s letter is an example of prioritizing politics over public health in the midst of a pandemic.

“His letter also seems disingenuous in characterizing our letter as threatening,” Fox said. “We did not issue an order, or regulation, or a mandate, and in fact offered assistance in reviewing COVID safety plans for faith communities that choose to gather for in-person worship. His threat, however, was unequivocal.

“Having said that, we cannot let his attack distract us from our fundamental commitment to protect the community, especially those most vulnerable to COVID-19, a commitment that we believe many faith communities share.”

St. Joseph, home to the city of South Bend, has a 5.88% seven-day positivity rate and 303 cases per 100,000 residents as of Friday, factors considered in the Indiana health department COVID-19 dashboard that labels the county in orange.

Orange counties are considered to have a moderate-to-high community spread, with recommendations like allowing grade schools to continue in-person but using hybrid learning for middle and high school students.

FOOTNOTE: Taylor Wooten is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.