Two coronavirus deaths in Montgomery County linked to March KCK church gathering
Two deaths from the coronavirus are now linked to a church conference held in mid-March in Kansas City, Kansas.
The two people who died were residents of Montgomery County in southeast Kansas.
One of the people attended the event at Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ, 2106 Quindaro Blvd. The other was a contact of the attendee, said Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokeswoman Kristi Zears.
The church hosted the Kansas East Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction’s Ministers and Workers Conference from March 16-22.
The Wyandotte County Health Department believes 150 to 200 people attended the event.
Kansas East Jurisdiction, the organizers of the conference, referred to its previous statement when reached for comment Wednesday. It said it notified attendees after it learned of two positive COVID-19 cases.
KDHE announced March 31 that multiple people at the gathering may have been exposed to the virus. At that time, at least seven cases were said to be connected to the church conference.
On Tuesday, the agency said the gathering had been linked to 15 coronavirus cases, including six hospitalizations.
By Wednesday, that number had increased to 18 cases and eight hospitalizations.
Three coronavirus clusters in Kansas are tied to church gatherings, according to KDHE.
Ahead of Easter weekend and Passover, Gov. Laura Kelly on Tuesday signed an executive order limiting religious services to 10 people.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said the order likely violates the Constitution. He encouraged Kansans participating in religious services to voluntarily observe the restrictions, but advised law enforcement against enforcing the directive.
At least 900 people have been infected with the virus in Kansas and 27 people have died, including 13 in Wyandotte County.
This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 2:24 PM.
