SW News: The state of Virginia in the United States now has a statute protecting churches from discriminatory governmental regulation, giving what the bill's sponsors called a "spectacular win" for religious freedom in the state.

The law states that "no rule, regulation, or order issued by the governor or other governmental entity under this chapter shall impose restrictions on the operation of a place of worship that are more restrictive than the restrictions imposed on any other business, organization, or activity."

Delegate Wren Williams, the bill's sponsor, declared in a news release that the protection marked a spectacular win for the millions of church-going Christians and people of all faiths all across Virginia after the bill's passing in the state Senate earlier this year. The bill had passed the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate 35-5.

Delegate Williams introduced HB2171 in response to former Governor Northam shutting down churches and places of worship during the Covid-19 pandemic while leaving other businesses open. At the time, he referred to religious freedom as a fundamental American right that is worth fighting for and remarked, "I am amazed and humbled at this victory for religious freedom."

Before being signed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, the GOP-backed law was approved by both the Democratic- and Republican-controlled chambers of the state legislature. This law changed the state code's disaster regulations. Concerns that churches were being subjected to unnecessarily severe pandemic mitigation procedures in comparison to other organizations and businesses during the COVID-19 crisis led to the creation of the new clause.

Like most governors in the US at the time of the epidemic, Ralph Northam, the state's then-governor, had imposed broad regulations governing places of worship and church capacity restrictions. Critics claimed that whereas regulations governing institutions like liquor stores were substantially more liberal, the Democratic governor's guidelines for churches were too onerous.