California Megachurch Linked To Spread Of More Than 70 Coronavirus Cases
'California megachurch linked to spread of more than 70 coronavirus cases.' Sacramento area church says it has been unfairly blamed in the spread as health officials link a third of cases to places of worship. The Guardian, April 3, 2020.
A California megachurch has found itself at the center of a coronavirus outbreak after public health officials connected it to 71 cases , even as church leaders say they have been unfairly blamed for failing to take action to stop the spread among church members.
County health officials have put Bethany Slavic Missionary church, a Pentecostal house of worship in a suburb of Sacramento, at the heart of one of the largest outbreak clusters in the country. The church is reported to be the largest Slavic congregation in the US, with 3,500 members and a total attendance at some services of up to 10,000.
The county’s public health director said that a third of all coronavirus cases in Sacramento county have been linked to places of worship. As of Thursday, health officials tallied the number of county cases at 350, with 10 deaths.
Seventy-one of the members who tested positive live in Sacramento county, and members who live in other counties may also be infected. One parishioner has died, officials said, and a pastor indicated in an online sermon the church’s senior pastor has been hospitalized and two others are critically ill.
Health officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the Sacramento county public health director, Peter Beilenson, told the Los Angeles Times it is “outrageous this is happening”, adding that public health guidelines trump the freedom of religious expression.
Beilenson said Thursday that in-person services at the Slavic megachurch have now ceased.
But he said church leaders rebuffed previous attempts to discuss the cases. “They’ve basically told us to leave them alone,” Beilenson told the Sacramento Bee. “This is extremely irresponsible and dangerous for the community.”
Church leaders did not immediately respond to phone calls from the Guardian, but a pre-recorded voicemail greeting said that most church services have been moved online.
Places of worship across the county have in recent weeks found themselves in the spotlight after resisting or being slow to enforce social distancing norms. Hugs, handshakes, or passing a common donation basket can easily pass the virus from one person to the next.
Faith Presbyterian church, also in Sacramento, has had two parishioners die...
More, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/03/california-church-coronvirus-outbreak-sacramento
= new reply since forum marked as read
what is their reasoning?
Do they (generally) believe they will end up in the human construct referred to as hell if they don't go to church?
