Texas Pastor Apologizes For Allowing Hugging At Church After Dozens Contract COVID-19

[tulipsandroses]

Texas Pastor Apologizes For Allowing Hugging At Church After Dozens Contract COVID-19
At least 50 coronavirus cases have emerged at Calvary Chapel of San Antonio, which had been meeting in person since May, according to Pastor Ron Arbaugh

A Texas pastor has apologized for failing to keep people socially distanced at his evangelical church, after he and dozens of congregants reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

Calvary Chapel of San Antonio has held multiple indoor, in-person services since it reopened in early May, right after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) let the state’s stay-at-home order expire. As hospitalizations and positivity rates surged in Texas over the past few weeks, members of the church began testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

The church has at least 50 cases of the novel coronavirus, lead pastor Ron Arbaugh told NBC-affiliate WOAI-TV on Saturday. Most of the positive cases are staff members ― including Arbaugh, his wife, at least one other main pastor, and children’s ministry staff. The majority of impacted individuals have reported mild symptoms, the pastor said.

The rise in cases prompted the church, based in Universal City on the border of San Antonio, to briefly suspend large in-person services.

Arbaugh and Calvary Chapel of San Antonio did not immediately return HuffPost’s request for comment.

[link:https://www.huffpost.com/entry/calvary-chapel-san-antonio-covid-19_n_5f036d95c5b6acab285432ac|

[Hekate]

1. What happened to it being all in Gawd's hands, moron? Gawd's Will? Arrgh

[tulipsandroses]

2. 50 damn cases! Those 50 people will go on to spread it to how many? And somewhere in this chain

some will get really sick and possibly die. These people are ignorant and selfish.

[C_U_L8R]

3. Forget the apology. He owes them a resignation.

Asshat endangers the community.

[Mariana]

4. The preachers, staff, and their families are positive.

That's why they're sorry. Stay the hell out of churches and bars!

[malaise]

5. He looks like a snake oil salesman

[phylny]

6. This is why our pastors refuse

to open church yet, even though in Virginia they can, with restrictions.

[GulfCoast66]

7. God works in mysterious ways. But the virus is very predictable.

[JDC]

8. Apology NOT accepted

I am sick to death of these people defying orders, ignoring science and then "admitting there were wrong"

Fuck him, his church, his steeple and all his people.

[RockRaven]

9. All these grifters who denied/downplayed covid dangers to get tithing butts back in the pews

are going to get real rude awakenings when they have outbreaks like this in their own churches. Some of those parishioners are never coming back, and the risks just got very, very real for all the rest.