Woburn church working with local board of health following cluster of positive COVID-19 cases linked to Christmas Eve services
“It’s a regional type of church, so some of the people who are testing positive could be from different cities.”
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A church in Woburn is now working alongside the city’s Board of Health after Christmas Eve services ignited a COVID-19 outbreak, infecting dozens of worshippers.
GENESIS Community Church leaders — who hosted four Christmas Eve gatherings that were later linked to 44 positive COVID-19 cases — said in a statement that they have since begun notifying everyone who attended, encouraging them to get tested for the coronavirus, whether symptomatic or not, and helping those who need to quarantine to prevent further transmission in communities across the state.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that people within GENESIS tested positive for COVID-19 and we are doing all we can to make sure this does not spread any further,” the statement said, as reported by The Boston Globe.
Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin told the newspaper that GENESIS has been “very cooperative” since the outbreak, noting that the church has provided those who are now quarantining with $300 gift cards to assist them.
“It’s kind of a unique situation because the GENESIS church is located in Woburn, and probably 25 percent of churchgoers are from Woburn,” Galvin told the Globe in an interview Saturday. “It’s a regional type of church, so some of the people who are testing positive could be from different cities.”
According to the statement, the services on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24. each reportedly tallied around 105 people in attendance, or about 35 percent of the church’s capacity.
Due to the holiday season, state officials last month had announced a reduced capacity at houses of worship from 40 percent to 25 percent, effective Dec. 26 for at least two weeks.
Services at GENESIS are now being held online as leaders continue working with the city’s Health Department to minimize further spread.
Since March, Woburn has reported 2,642 COVID-19 cases and 38 deaths.
Between Dec. 27 and Dec. 31, testing data shows that 124 new cases were confirmed. And on Dec. 28 alone, 68 new cases were reported, marking the highest single-day rise the city has seen all fall or winter.
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