COVID Cluster Traced To Northern California Church

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Nine cases of COVID-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus, are now linked to the May 10 service held by the Assembly of God in the Mendocino County city of Redwood Valley. The service was livestreamed to congregants and included singing, county public health officials said today.

Mendocino County health orders permit churches to produce events that are livestreamed or recorded, provided certain precautions are taken. They include specific measures to mitigate the risk associated with singing, which experts believe can spew viral particles into the air.

The spike in infections came as the county received state approval to move into a more aggressive stage of reopening businesses, clearing the way for in-restaurant dining and in-store shopping.