Large gathering at NC church raises concerns over potential second outbreak
A multi-campus evangelical Christian church in North Carolina, where nearly 200 people who attended an event in October tested positive for coronavirus, has been warned again by country officials after it announced another large-scale event over the weekend.
Mecklenburg County officials fear that more large-scale events at the United House of Prayer for All People Church might lead to another outbreak, months after a week-long convocation at the church resulted in nearly 200 people contracting the virus, out of which six died and at least 10 had to be hospitalized.
Concerns were expressed ahead of a service on Saturday night where hundreds gathered to celebrate Bishop C.M. Bailey, the leader of more than 140 United House of Prayer churches across the country, according to WCCB Charlotte.
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Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris released a statement, saying it “is aware of the events and have been in conversation with church leadership.”
“We explained that now is not the time for this type of event considering the extent of the pandemic in our community,” the official said. “We have been assured by church leadership that they are implementing all necessary precautions and limiting the numbers in the church at any given time.”
Harris added that the department was not restricting the events “because at this point, we’re not in an outbreak status with the church,” according to WBTV.
The official said the health department hopes “we don’t get to that point again, and they hope that they have their events because they seem to be determined to have the events and I think the bishop is coming but they do it as safe as possible and keep the numbers as small as they can as they move through this weekend.”
Also on Saturday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that over 3,400 people in the state were in the hospital with COVID-19 and 6,892 people had died from complications with the coronavirus.
In October, the church had been issued an Abatement of Imminent Hazard Order, prohibiting all in-person gatherings at the church’s Mecklenburg County locations until at least Nov. 5.
However, less than a week after the order went into effect, the United House of Prayer announced that it had reached an agreement with Mecklenburg County to reopen all 11 of its locations. Under the agreement, the United House of Prayer implemented measures including the “required wearing of masks, availability of hand sanitizer throughout the Church’s buildings, social distancing, and the regular cleaning and sanitizing of Church facilities.”
“This is a great result for the United House of Prayer and for religious freedom and expression throughout Mecklenburg County,” Apostle Ronnie White, pastor at the United House of Prayer’s Church location where the convocation was held, said at the time. “Our congregants and members are looking forward to participating in daily services starting today and we and our leader, Bishop C.M. Bailey, are thrilled to welcome them back into God’s House.”
Harris said at the time that “the pastors and the staff at all of those sites have been very responsive and engaged and have been willing to work with us on this guidance.”
