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Priest tests positive for coronavirus after communion service with more than 500 parishioners 

The Rector of a prominent Episcopal church in Washington, Rev Timothy Cole, has tested positive for coronavirus after a communion service attended by over 500 parishioners.

The Christ Church Georgetown’s Rector, Rev Cole, who was confirmed to be the city’s first-person infected with the coronavirus, had earlier administered communion and shook hands with congregants at a service.

The Washington Post reported that Rev Cole had told the congregants on Sunday that “he was the person whom city officials had been referring to as patient one.”

Rev Cole first became ill after returning from a February 22 conference of Episcopal leaders in Louisville, Kentucky.

Recounting the preceding event, a church spokesperson said, “Cole shook hands with parishioners and administered communion at the 11:15 am service.”

“Cole washed his hands after coming in contact with congregants,” the spokesperson told the Post.

Meanwhile, all church activities in the parish have been canceled until further notice.

Rev Cole has since been taken to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, where he is said to be in a stable condition.

To curb the spread of the disease, the District of Columbia, Mayor Muriel Bowser, has advised that anyone who entered Christ Church Georgetown between February 24 and March 3 to self-quarantine for two weeks.

Taking communion and shaking hands at church is a known practice in most churches across the world.

By convention, during communion, the church put the bread on a plate where members queue to hand pick in turns, together with disposable cups filled with the communion wine.

As church leaders across the world scratch their heads over ways to contain the outbreak of the deadly virus, the Church of Pentecost in Ghana has taken a giant step in preventing the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Pentecost International Worship Center (PIWC), a local assembly in Koforidua in the Eastern Region, early this month adopted a new way of serving communion to its members to avoid the spread of the virus.

Church of Pentecost in Koforidua serves communion with toothpick over coronavirus fears

Background

The coronavirus is fast spreading across the world as 105 countries have so far recorded infections of the virus.

Formally known as COVID-19, the virus has so far infected over 118, 000 people.

Italy, the centre of the outbreak in Europe, has so far recorded 10,149 cases with 630 dead, as of Wednesday, while France has 1,784 cases of infected persons and 33 deaths.

Countries such as the Czech Republic, Scotland and the Dominican Republic have confirmed first cases.

In Africa, the disease has hit 10 countries—Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco.

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