After coronavirus outbreak at church that left one dead, health officials praise pastor for response
Health officials in Shasta County, California, have praised pastor Paul Tilley and his Faith Assembly Church in Redding for how they responded to a coronavirus outbreak at the church that left one person dead.
“We are impressed with how proactive the church has been since learning about the first case in their congregation,” Brandy Isola, the county's public health branch director, told the Record Searchlight.
“We have community transmission in Shasta County. We recognize that there is less than ideal testing capacity in our county, state and country. This means that there are cases of COVID-19 in our community that Public Health has not been notified about. It is critically important that everyone stay at home except for essential services, follow social distancing practices when it is necessary to go out and practice excellent hygiene,” she said.
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Tilley told the Record Searchlight that once he heard a member of his congregation tested positive for the coronavirus, he contacted Shasta County health officials on March 23 — the same day he heard of the exposure — "to give them a detailed account of how I handled the crisis."
The member, who has been identified as a 75-year-old woman, has since died.
Shasta County Health and Human Services officials revealed there has since been a "higher than expected number of positive cases" associated with the church.
Warnings were also issued to other members who "may be at higher risk of carrying COVID-19, particularly if they attended a weekend event there (at the church) on March 14 and 15, and they should inform their close contacts and social circles that they may have been exposed,” health officials said.
Tilley and his church drew praise from health officials because in addition to alerting them about the exposure, he developed a timeline of the woman's activities at the church and then told his entire 300-member congregation what had happened.
"They (county officials) informed me at that time, I had responded in a responsible manner," Tilley said. "The church has been closed, in compliance with President Trump’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America since the announcement on March 16."
Despite his efforts, six of his members, including the deceased woman, tested positive for coronavirus. The deceased woman's son also tested positive for coronavirus and was under quarantine for 14 days but had no symptoms. Other members have been hospitalized but are recovering.
Tilley said he is sheltering in place and urging others in his congregation to do the same to keep them and the larger community safe.
"I want to do what I can to keep my members safe," Tilley said. "We as a church are trying to lead by example as far as what you should be doing."
