At least 9 COVID-19 cases could be tied to Charlotte church event, county says
At least nine cases of COVID-19 could be connected to a Charlotte church’s convocation events from last weekend, Mecklenburg County officials tweeted late Saturday.
County public health officials urged all people who attended the events at United House of Prayer for All People at 2321 Beatties Ford Road to get tested for the coronavirus.
The county said that free COVID-19 testing will be available Sunday at StarMed Health, 4001 Tuckaseegee Road. People can find a testing site near them in Mecklenburg at: https://meck.co/3ka8gLE.
Church officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Washington-D.C.,-based church was founded a century ago in Massachusetts by Bishop Charles Manuel “Sweet Daddy” Grace, who was from the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa.
In 1926, Charlotte became a hub for the predominantly African-American Christian denomination, the Observer reported in a 2017 story, when the faithful flocked to the bishop’s revival tent at Caldwell and Third streets. The churches remain well-known, the Observer reported in that story, for mass baptisms, brassy “shout” bands and continued devotion to those bishops – still called “Daddy” – who succeeded the founder.
Local, state COVID-19 trends
Wednesday was the last date demographic data was publicly available for the county, the Observer reported Friday.
The coronavirus data show that in the past week, an average of 86 individuals with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at acute care facilities in the county. Health officials said that this represented a “fairly stable” trend over the past two weeks.
But on Thursday, North Carolina officials warned that coronavirus trends were beginning to move in the wrong direction.
They urged people to comply with basic safety protocols, including avoiding large gatherings and wearing a face mask.
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 9:24 PM.
