Churches in Florida and Louisiana are opening their doors for in-person services despite increases in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and in defiance of social distancing guidance to avoid large gatherings.
The River at Tampa Bay Church, a megachurch attended by thousands in Florida, protested its business classification as “nonessential,” releasing a statement that said its function would alleviate “fear and uncertainty” during the pandemic.
“In a time of national crisis, we expect certain institutions to be open and certain people to be on duty. We expect hospitals to have their doors open 24/7 to receive and treat patients. We expect our police and firefighters to be ready and available to rescue and to help and to keep the peace. The Church is another one of those essential services. It is a place where people turn for help and for comfort in a climate of fear and uncertainty,” the church said in a statement. “Therefore, we feel that it would be wrong for us to close our doors on them, at this time, or any time.”
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The Rev. Rodney Howard-Browne, the lead pastor for the megachurch, told attendees not to worry about contracting the COVID-19 virus, claiming he “brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place.”
Howard-Browne was one of many pastors invited to the White House in 2017 to lay hands and pray over President Trump. He vigorously defended the president during his impeachment trial in January, saying that Jesus would have “beat the crap” out of former Trump national security adviser John Bolton for being “disloyal to the president.”
Life Tabernacle church, a place of worship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, defied a shelter-in-place order made by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, holding sermons attended by hundreds of people. The Associated Press reported that approximately 500 people attended.
The Rev. Tony Spell, the leading pastor of the church, told Fox News he believed prayer could heal people with ailments worse than the coronavirus, saying, “I have seen members healed of HIV and cancer — diseases that are bigger than COVID-19.”
Some local officials are taking extreme measures to prevent congregations in places of worship during the coronavirus pandemic. Over the weekend, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was willing to shut down synagogues and churches that defy public safety orders permanently.
“I want to say to all those who are preparing for the potential of religious services this weekend: If you go to your synagogue, if you go to your church and attempt to hold services after having been told so often not to, our enforcement agents will have no choice but to shut down those services,” de Blasio said. “If that does not happen, they will take additional action up to the point of fines and potentially closing the building permanently.”
More than 737,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus globally. Of those, at least 35,900 have died from complications related to the virus, and more than 156,500 coronavirus patients have recovered. The United States has seen at least 143,000 confirmed cases, with more than 2,500 associated deaths and 4,800 reported recoveries.
