Though they had the state government’s backing to reopen congregations to in-person services, many Georgia churches on Sunday ignored Gov. Brian Kemp’s measure and remained closed as coronavirus fears persist.

Kemp announced on April 20 that churches could open their doors for in-person services if “done in accordance with strict social distancing protocols” but later added that “of course, online, call-in, or drive-in services remain good options.”

The announcement was part of a rollout of an easing of restrictions in Georgia's stay-at-home order that is set to lift May 1.

Yet, despite the go-ahead to resume service, most churches remained relegated to video streaming or drive-in services such as Cornerstone Church in Athens.

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At least one church appeared to hold in-person services.

The Redeeming Love Church of God the Bibleway in Statesboro held two services Sunday, according to its Facebook page. Both were livestreamed and each appeared to have at least 20 parishioners in attendance.

This was the same church whose members recorded video on April 10 of Georgia State Police ordering a service to be broken up. After the incident, church leaders vowed they would continue to ignore the state's stay-at-home order. In-person services were held the past several weeks, the church's Facebook page indicated.

In Louisiana, a similar defiance of stay-at-home orders resulted in pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Central being placed under house arrest, according to NBC.

Mayor Bob Smith of Watkinsville issued a news release Sunday in which he expressed support for the Georgia governor's measures.

“I encourage you to get outdoors and exercise,” Smith said in the release. “Go to work. Earn a living. Assemble to worship. And be grateful for every day we have.”

The Catholic Dioceses in Georgia said Thursday in a statement that it is “not authorizing the return to congregating at churches or making our churches available for devotions” through May.

Many priests and parishioners may fall into a high-risk category for the virus, the dioceses said, and if social distancing guidelines change significantly they will “reexamine” the possibility of congregating.

The North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church said in a statement April 20 that it was advising churches not to gather through May 13 "as we do our best to do no harm."

Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, Presiding Prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, issued a directive to more than 520 churches Tuesday prohibiting gatherings for services on Sunday, calling Kemp’s decision “unacceptable.”

The Baptist Ministries Conference of Augusta held a joint news conference Friday, alongside Mayor Hardie Davis Jr., in which President Anthony Booker, Pastor Charles Goodman Jr. and Pastor Karlton Howard urged residents to heed warnings from medical experts and stay home.

“I'd rather preach over you living, than preach over you dead,” Booker said.

In his April 20 announcement, Kemp also allowed gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, barbers, cosmetologists, hair designers, nail care artists, aestheticians, their respective schools and massage therapists to reopen Friday. The measure requires those businesses to observe “minimum basic operations” that include employee screening, social distancing and wearing of masks.

It’s not only religious leaders in the state who are pushing back against Kemp’s measure.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson asked more than 70 religious leaders in the city to keep their worship centers closed in a video conference call held Friday. None of the leaders said they would reopen. Johnson told the religious leaders he understood the financial burden of the religious institutions being closed but said, "we can reach God without going through a building.”

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms expanded that message beyond houses of worship. She regularly posts the latest confirmed case numbers and death total in the state on her verified Twitter account and, on Friday, she posted a message alongside an image of the day’s statistics.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” she wrote. “PLEASE STAY HOME.”

Contributing: Asha Gilbert, Savannah Now; Wynston Wilcox, The Augusta Chronicle