Church in small Illinois town defies restrictions, holds service with 100 parishioners
LENA, Illinois - A small church in northern Illinois has defied crowd restrictions in the state's latest stay-at-home order, holding a Sunday service with dozens of people.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's extension of the order took effect Friday and allows for small safe worship, limited to groups of 10 along with social distancing measures.
However, roughly 100 people attended The Beloved Church in Lena, according to WREX-TV.
Pritzker says the order is temporary and faith leaders should help keep parishioners safe.
Health officials announced 2,994 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday, including 63 deaths.