Staff Reporter
The Global Reconciliation Church (GRC) in Bloemfontein has issued an urgent notice for its members to come forward for screening and testing for COVID-19 after one of its pastors tested positive.
The Bloemanda-based church said in a statement that Apostle Mohau Rammile tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a religious conference at the Divine Restoration Ministries, also in the Free State capital city, earlier this month.
Several members of the Divine Restoration Church have tested positive for the deadly virus — which causes acute respiratory complications — after interacting with five international visitors at the convention who have since tested positive and are currently in quarantine.
“The leadership has noted with concern how people have fears and/or negative attitude about COVID-19,” read part of the GRC statement.
“Another screening will be done at our church for those who have not yet been tested. We encourage people to get tested. We are aware of the gravity of the disease but are doing everything with the Department of Health to minimise the risk of an outbreak.”
Members were urged to go to the church today for testing ahead of the 21-day national lockdown that starts at midnight this Thursday.
Rammile is quoted in the statement confirming that he attended the conference and found it important to inform his church that he had tested positive to minimise the risk of spreading the disease.
“I decided to . . . (inform) the church members and society due to the fear that is currently affecting people. I attended a service on the 10th-11th of March that was co-hosted by Divine Restoration Church,” Rammile explained.
“Immediately after being informed of their situation, I went for testing and quarantine, hence my wife tested negative.”
The GRC becomes the second church in the city to raise alarm about the coronavirus among its members and urging them to go for screening and testing.
Since last Friday, the Free State health department has been tracing members of the Divine Restoration Church who could have made contact with the five visitors for screening and testing.
Two of the visitors came from the United States, while the other two were from Israel and one from France.
They have been quarantined at a bed-and-breakfast establishment in the city.
Management and staff at the facility have also been quarantined.
Hundreds have already been screened and tested with several testing positive, thereby worsening fears the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province could increase sharply.
The Free State currently has about 33 confirmed cases out of South Africa’s total of 709.
No deaths have been recorded in the country.