Georgia church reopens, quickly closes again after several families get coronavirus
A Georgia church that reopened a few weeks ago is closing its doors again after several families came down with COVID-19.
Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle in Ringgold welcomed worshipers back into the sanctuary April 26 after shutting down in response to the pandemic, the Christian Post reported. Two weeks later on May 11, church leaders announced plans to suspend “in-person worship services for the foreseeable future” after several parishioners tested positive for the virus.
“Our hearts are heavy as some of our families are dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 virus, and we ask for your prayers for each of them as they follow the prescribed protocol and recuperate at home,” the church said in a statement provided to the Christian Post.
Three confirmed coronavirus cases ”involving multiple families” have been linked to the church, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. The Northwest Georgia Public Health District is now investigating.
The church, led by Pastor Justin Gazaway, was among one of the first in the area to reopen after weeks of online worship services to help curb the spread of COVID-19, according to the newspaper.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were more than 38,700 coronavirus cases in Georgia and 1,664 deaths, state health department data show.
Like Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle, other houses of worship in the U.S. have considered the risks of reopening. Amended stay-at-home orders have some worshipers ready to head back to church, but public health experts warn that reopening too soon could trigger a spike in new cases.
“The message is to continue to be careful,” Ringgold Mayor Nick Millwood told the Free Press. “If you have any kind of gatherings, be exceptionally safe and try to adhere as best as you can to the social distancing guidelines.”
During the time when in-person services were back on, Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle officials said proper social distancing guidelines were followed.
“Seating was marked to only permit sitting within the six foot guidelines,” the church said, according to the Christian Post. “All doors were open to allow access without the touching of doors and the attendees were asked to enter in a social distancing manner and were dismissed in a formal manner as well to ensure that the social distancing measures were adhered by all.”
It’s unclear how many families were possibly exposed to the virus, but church officials told the outlet only a quarter of its congregation returned for in-person services while others continued worshiping from home.
The Catoosa County Health Department is now investigating the three COVID-19 cases linked to the church and “using contact tracers to determine who that person may have passed the virus to,” WTVC reported.
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Georgia church reopens, quickly closes again after several families get coronavirus."