Covid 19 coronavirus: We were discriminated against, says Mt Roskill church leader

A Mt Roskill church leader at the center of one of Auckland’s mini-groups says he doesn’t know much about science or politics, but restrictions should be relaxed.

The Evangelical Fellowship church, which has now been linked to 48 cases of Covid-19, came under fire after Health Minister Chris Hipkins said some people linked to it were skeptical about the severity of the pandemic.

He said officials were moving as quickly as possible to contain the subgroup, but “repeated, deliberate and malicious dissemination of misinformation” threatened to block passage to Level 1.

However, leader Kelly Vogel told Stuff that the church was widely misunderstood, discriminated against, and subjected to unfair comments.

He rejected claims that the Fellowship was secret and wanted Auckland to move to alert level one.

“We really don’t know too much about science. We really don’t know too much about politics.

“We believe that God is in complete control.”

However, Vogel added that while the church would not always agree with the government, it will comply with the instructions of the Ministry of Health and encouraged members of the congregation to get tested.

The Health Ministry said today that there were 33 cases in the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship subgroup, which began when an infectious church member visited the home of a grieving family while awaiting the results of a test.

There are 15 other cases in the grieving group, including the person who visited the family.

In a statement, the ministry said both groups are working closely with public health personnel to control the outbreak and prevent further spread.

“Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship leaders have actively encouraged all members of the congregation to be retested for Covid-19 and comply with other public health tips such as self-isolation.

“Ninety-eight percent of the people in the congregation and those attending the grieving events have already been evaluated.

“We want to thank you again for your participation in contributing to our efforts to control the broader Auckland group.”