Churches were eager to reopen, now they are a major source of coronavirus cases

PENDLETON, OREGON - Weeks after President Donald Trump demanded that America's shuttered houses of worship be allowed to reopen, new outbreaks of the coronavirus are surging through churches across the country where services have resumed.

In Texas, about 50 people contracted the virus after a pastor told congregants they could once again hug one another.More than 650 coronavirus cases have been linked to nearly 40 churches and religious events across the United States since the beginning of the pandemic, with many of them erupting over the last month as Americans resumed their pre-pandemic activities, according to a New York Times database.

"Our churches have followed protocols - masks, go in one door and out the other, social distancing," said Cynthia Fierro Harvey, a bishop with the United Methodist Church in Louisiana, where three churches closed again over the last week.Other congregations have remained defiant in the face of rising infections, saying that state rules limiting service sizes infringe on their constitutional right to worship.

There have been at least 51 confirmed cases and three deaths tied to the church, local health officials said.His daughter, Libby Morgan, said her father had lived alone and had spent the last few months cooped up at home to stay safe. "There's more to be considered there than just the physical health, there's also the spiritual health."

In Texas, Pastor Ron Arbaugh said his church, the Calvary Chapel of San Antonio, had followed"the letter of the law" and tried to practice social distancing since it was allowed to reopen in May.Families sat spaced out in the pews. About half the congregation wore masks.

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