Despite the global pandemic crisis that we are currently experiencing, some people just aren’t listening.
Millions have been strongly advised to self-isolate and practice social distancing but this isn’t sinking in for a select few.
Keep scrolling to learn about the megachurch in Florida that was recently packed out by worshippers – and how its pastor faced a pretty intense response from law enforcement.
This is the worst pandemic our world has seen in decades.
COVID-19, or more commonly known as the coronavirus, has completely taken over the world and has caused a mass crisis.
739,371 to be precise.
And, devastatingly, a staggering 35,016 more have been reported to have died from the illness.
Which was done in an attempt to combat the virus and enable countries to put in strict measures to prevent any further spread.
Because, fast forward 3 months, and nearly every major country in the world has been infected by the virus, with some of the worst affected being Japan, South Korea, Russia, Italy, Iran, and Spain.
And many have banned large and crowded events, and any travel to and from infected countries.
Our first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Washington in late January after a citizen returned from a trip to China.
Since the first COVID-19 patient in Washington, there have been 142,793 more confirmed cases across the country and 2,490 deaths.
And earlier this month, President Trump declared a national emergency to combat the coronavirus pandemic, freeing up $50 billion in federal funding and promising a screening website and drive-by tests.
And it has been proven that locking down public areas and avoiding social situations has helped reduce the chances of spreading the already out of control virus.
But it seems that not everyone feels the need to abide by these suggestions…
Scenes last week at the Clearwater Beach in Florida shows that a lot of people have completely disregarded these global warnings.
And even though many beaches in this area have been closed due to the pandemic, visitors still flocked anyway.
Some people just don’t quite realize the extent of this situation…
With 4,950 positive cases of coronavirus in the state of Florida, many of whom are teens or in their early twenties, the Centers for Disease Control has advised that all events with more than 50 people attending should be canceled – meaning people need to start taking this very seriously.
Officials have made it perfectly clear that mass gatherings are not allowed to happen until further notice…
And this includes religious gatherings, such as going to church on a Sunday.
Scenes at the River Church in Tampa, Florida showed hundreds of people congregating to hear Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne deliver his Sunday Service.
Despite every doctor and scientist in the country saying social distancing is the only thing that will prevent the disease from spreading even more.
He clearly has very strong views on the matter.
The Pastor boasted his place was white-glove clean, saying, “We brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place, and uh, if somebody walks through the door it’s like, it kills everything on them. If they sneeze, it shoots it down at like 100 mph. It’ll neutralize it in split seconds. We have the most sterile building in, I don’t know, all of America.”
“We are not stopping anything. I’ve got news for you, this church will never close. The only time the church will close is when the Rapture is taking place,” he then said.
And it’s unclear why Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne can’t do this instead, like many other preachers.
And who knows what it will take for these people to learn how severe this situation is.
He’s been accused of showing “reckless disregard for human life,” according to authorities.
Howard Browne is currently facing misdemeanor charges for unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules.
And make sure to keep scrolling for the latest COVID-19 updates…