Did Mother's Day Church Services Help Spread Coronavirus In Northern California?
According to county health departments, there are more than half a dozen new COVID-19 cases and three hospitalizations linked to mother's day church services in Northern California.
The pastor of the Assembly of God church in Redwood Valley is now among at least nine cases in Lake and Mendocino counties linked to their mother's day live stream service where several people gathered to sing.
The counties say they've tested more than 337 people in connection with the outbreak, and so far, they've found six new positive cases linked to the church. There are nine in total so far.
Meanwhile, in Butte County, where more than 180 people may have been exposed during an in-person mother's day church service, in violation of the state's stay at home order. The county is reporting a spike in cases, jumping from 18 cases to 34 cases in about two weeks.
Data shows a plateau with no new cases for several weeks last month. But since mother's day, cases have nearly doubled. Right now, only one of the new cases has been directly linked to the church service.
The Butte County public health department stresses that there are some other cases that are not linked to the gathering which, they say, points to increased community spread now in the Oroville area.
