Special Report: Five days of worship that set a virus time bomb in France

[Auggie]

PARIS (Reuters / 3-30-20) - From the stage of an evangelical superchurch, the leader of the gospel choir kicked off an evening of prayer and preaching: “We’re going to celebrate the Lord! Are you feeling the joy tonight?”

“Yes!” shouted the hundreds gathered at the Christian Open Door church on Feb. 18. For many members of this globe-spanning flock, the annual celebration is the high point of the church calendar.

This time, someone in the congregation was carrying the coronavirus.

The prayer meeting kicked off the biggest cluster of COVID-19 in France - one of northern Europe’s hardest-hit countries - to date, local government said. Around 2,500 confirmed cases have been linked to it. Worshippers at the church have unwittingly taken the disease caused by the virus home to the West African state of Burkina Faso, to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, to Guyana in Latin America, to Switzerland, to a French nuclear power plant, and into the workshops of one of Europe’s biggest automakers.

STORY: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-church-spec/special-report-five-days-of-worship-that-set-a-virus-time-bomb-in-france-idUSKBN21H0Q2

[lagomorph777]

1. When religion is the disease.

So much pain, so much death, in the name of eternal life.

I just don't get it.

[Stuart G]

2. Shows how the virus spreads. 6 weeks., now 2500 confimred cases ..well worth reading.

..Yes,...stay at home!! Protect yourself NOW..

[Auggie]

16. Exactly -- let this be a lesson to all when the next virus appears

[dalton99a]

3. Evangelicals, super spreading the good news to every corner of the world

[GusBob]

4. Im gonna give them the benefit of a doubt

On Feb 18th, according to worldometer there were no active cases in France

[dalton99a]

8. The first COVID-19 case in Europe was confirmed in France in January

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_France

On 24 January, the first COVID-19 case in Europe was confirmed in Bordeaux. A 48-year-old French citizen from China, who arrived in France on 22 January, was hospitalised at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux. Service d'Aide Médicale Urgente took charge and the patient was isolated in the hospital. The authorities tried to confirm whether he had infected people who were in contact with him.[12]

Two more cases were confirmed in Paris by the end of the day – a couple who had returned from China on 18 January.[4][13][14] The 31-year-old man and his 30-year-old partner, both from Wuhan, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and were hospitalised at Bichat–Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris.

On 28 January, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist from Hubei tested positive and was hospitalised at Bichat–Claude Bernard Hospital.[5] The following day, his 50-year-old daughter tested positive and was admitted to the same hospital as her father.[15] The 80-year-old Chinese tourist died on 14 February, marking the first death from COVID-19 in outside of Asia.[6]

On 30 January, a Paris doctor who had come into contact with a Chinese tourist whose contamination was confirmed upon her return to China was confirmed positive for COVID-19.[16]

On 8 February, Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn confirmed five new cases which originated from a group of people who were on a holiday in Les Contamines-Montjoie, Haute-Savoie.[25] They contracted the infection from a British national who had attended a conference at Grand Hyatt in Singapore a few days before.[26] Another British national, who had stayed in the same chalet as the five other individuals at Les Contamines-Montjoie tested positive for COVID-19.[27]

Coronavirus is most contagious before and during the first week of symptoms. You don’t have to feel sick to spread the disease.

A big reason we have all these lockdowns is asymptomatic carriers.

[GusBob]

12. I stand corrected, thank you

when did the French government ban large group gatherings?

As an example, I think in the US the NCAA tourney was cancelled around March 10?

[caraher]

9. I see 12 in France for that date on worldometer

Still a tiny number; it's not as if they were defying authorities by gathering.

[SWBTATTReg]

5. Irresponsible twits. I hope to God that everyone of these people are sued and/or thrown in...

jail for endangering the public health. In South Korea, one such bible beater got 631 people (at last tally) sick w/ the CV because she participated in a church service despite being told she needs to isolate herself and didn't. This is akin to MURDER.

Let's add up the tally thus far, S. Korea, 631 cases;
France, 2,500 cases;
all of the other countries impacted, too numerous to tally.

States and federal governments need to get downright serious on these meetings...remember, all of these people will flock back home to our communities, our work places, everywhere where we all live and work too.

Make this a high level felony or crime and stop this in its track before they kill more of us.

[GusBob]

7. Why should they be sued or go to jail?

On Feb 18th there were zero* active cases in France. how would they know?

Edit to correct my dumb: not zero cases, very few cases

[SWBTATTReg]

10. That's your opinion. Mine is that they knew something was going on. It's time to take a ...

little responsibility and err on the side of caution.

[GusBob]

13. Yes of course we know that now

But when did the French government know and ban large gatherings? For instance, in the US the NCAA tourney was cancelled around march 10th

If there was no government ban or warning on large gatherings I don't think they can be sued or arrested for what happened on Feb 18th

[SWBTATTReg]

14. Governments delayed responses. Look at the US and its hodgepodge of states issuing self-

isolation orders (too late in some cases), and the states next door not.

Look at how long rump himself farted around before invoking the DPA and finally deciding that the CV wasn't a hoax. Are we supposed to take his word?

As taking personal responsibility for myself, I don't wait for government to issue such self isolation orders, I don't need to. My health issues mandate that I take more aggressive steps to protect me and mine from possible sickness or illness, or possible harm. Even if there's only a hint of danger, I act. I don't wait until the crowd reacts, by then, it is usually too late, IMHO.

Be safe and careful!

[redstatebluegirl]

6. Just wait for Easter in the US.

No way the Evangelicals stay away from their mega church on that day. I predict large gatherings all over the south.

[caraher]

11. I agree with GusBob

It's sad that this event spread the virus, but at the time there were no directives in France against such gatherings and (by my reading of the worldometer site) just 12 known cases in the country at the time.

If you want to rage against evangelicals pick on Jerry Falwell Jr. Think back to what you were doing Feb. 18 (when the US also had just 12 active cases, and about 74,000 of the 75,000 cases worldwide were in China) and show a little empathy.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

15. We're doing the same here and in a much later time frame.

An evangelical megachurch near Baton Rouge, Louisiana held a service on March 22 with 1800 in attendance and the same church had 500 there yesterday (3/29) according to KATC-TV in Lafayette. Videos showed lots of personal contact.

Read about it here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213199127

Same at an Illinois Pentecostal church: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=13200792

We'll never know the spread numbers from those events. Freedom and privacy, ya know.....

Thanks for the OP, Auggie!