Dion Brown here from the Colquitt County Baptist Association. My ministry assistant showed me a recent article in the Observer that linked two local COVID cases to churches in our community. The implication in the way it was stated was that these folks contracted the virus as a result of attending church.  

I only know one of those people personally. He happens to be one of our pastors and I can tell you with certainty that he did not contract the virus as a result of being at church because their church had not yet resumed services. They were due to start back this past Sunday but called off the service when he discovered he had the virus on Friday.  

I do not know the other person or the church they attend but I feel it is unfair to presume they contracted the virus at church. They could have easily contracted it somewhere else but the article assumes it was at church. Could they have infected others by going to church? Certainly. And that remains to be seen, but to assume that they got it at church is an unproven theory and therefore should not have been stated.  

I would be grateful if the Observer would clarify this to avoid undue panic in our community. 

Dion Brown

Colquitt County Baptist Association

 

Editor’s response

The Observer seldom responds to letters published on our Opinions page. We feel the need to do so in this case because Rev. Brown has made a reasonable request we can’t comply with and we need to say why.

The story in question was posted to www.moultrieobserver.com on June 17 and is linked at left.

In the story, the district health director, Dr. Charles Ruis, made the connection between an increase in positive COVID-19 tests here and the reopening of churches. The purpose of the health district’s press release was to remind people that close confines, such as often happen at church, are a great way to spread the virus, and the health district encouraged congregations to take precautions.

Because this is health advice coming from a state official responsible for providing health advice, we do not feel we can alter his conclusions or recommendations. However, we believe that Rev. Brown’s perspective deserves to be published too; he chose to do so through this letter to the editor.