58 coronavirus cases tied to church that didn’t require masks, Michigan officials say

A Michigan church where mask use is not required has been linked to 58 COVID-19 cases, health officials say.

Many of the individuals were exposed to the virus at an Oct. 11 service at Liberty Church in Grand Ledge, according to the Barry-Eaton District Health Department. Others may have been exposed at church events held the week before and after.

The Oct. 11 service was a youth group meeting, according to the Lansing State Journal. Many attendees at the church events chose not to wear masks, the health department said.

Of the 58 individuals confirmed to have COVID-19, five have been hospitalized and four remain in inpatient care, the health department said.

“The outbreak is still ongoing as cases were still being identified last week,” according to the health department. “The number of cases and hospitalizations may rise in the coming days due to further spread of COVID-19 and discovery of additional cases.”

Some people associated with the outbreak have declined to speak with the health department, it said in a news release.

The church posted on Facebook on Oct. 14 and Oct. 16 that some of its members were feeling ill. Since then, it has livestreamed services.

A phone number associated with the church was disconnected Thursday.

Grand Ledge is a western suburb of Lansing and has a population of around 7,800.

There have been 1,116 positive cases of the coronavirus in Eaton County as of Thursday, including 217 active cases.

This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 12:09 PM with the headline "58 coronavirus cases tied to church that didn’t require masks, Michigan officials say."