The contagion study is released just as Trump is demanding that churches reopen.
The church in the CDC study was identified only as “Church A” in a rural Arkansas county of 25,000 people.
The report found that more than a third of 92 people who attended events at the church from March 6 to 11 contracted confirmed cases of COVID-19, and three later died. The pastor, the first known case along with his wife, led a Bible study group at the church before he developed symptoms, according to the study, “High COVID-19 Attack Rate Among Attendees at Events at a Church — Arkansas, March 2020.
Other events at the church during the time studied included worship services and a special children’s event over three days that involved a community meal, singing and the passing of “offerings” from children to adults. The pastor closed the church March 12 after others in his congregation began to feel ill two days after his initial symptoms developed, according to the study.
“This outbreak highlights the potential for widespread transmission of ... the virus that causes COVID-19, both at group gatherings during church events and within the broader community,” the study warned. “These findings underscore the opportunity for faith-based organizations to prevent COVID-19 by following local authorities’ guidance and the U.S. Government’s Guidelines.”
Arkansas hadn’t issued social distancing guidelines urging people to stay 6 feet apart until March 16, the report noted. But the pastor told researchers that church members sat apart during the Bible study he led.
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