Members of a Dover church are being asked to test for COVID-19 by the state health department after three of its members were confirmed to have the disease. The church also recently hosted conferences attended by hundreds.
Attendees at these conferences are also encouraged to be tested for the virus.
At least three members of Destiny Christian Church have tested positive for COVID-19, two of whom attended services before realizing they had the virus, health officials said.
The organization, which according to its non-denominational Facebook page, organized two conferences this month, including one last weekend.
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Both conferences attracted “a few hundred people every weekend,” which could increase the risk of transmission of the virus, health officials said.
The state will offer testing for church members from 10 am to 1 pm Tuesday at the church, located at 2161 Forrest Ave. This testing site is also open to the public, and registration is not required.
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In mid-June, Governor John Carney allowed places of worship to hold services in person, albeit at only 60% of capacity. The state has also begun allowing outdoor events in person for up to 250 people to occur, with the requirement to take social distancing precautions.
Events of more than 250 people must submit plans to the state.
Andrea Wojcik, spokeswoman for the Division of Public Health, said the conferences were not held outdoors. She added that the facility’s conferences did not violate the state’s capacity rule.
Church leaders could not immediately be reached for comment.
Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.
