Ballymoney church closed after confirmed Covid outbreak.
Last updated 4th Nov 2020
A County Antrim church has had to temporarily close following an outbreak of Covid-19.
The Hebron Free Presbyterian Church in Ballymoney is believed to be the first church in Northern Ireland which has had to close because of the virus.
In a statement the Reverend David Park said: “Sadly, there has been an outbreak of COVID-19 among our church families.
“Since reopening after lockdown, the church oversight put government recommendations into place.
“On Sunday October 25, we learned of two cases connected to the congregation.
“The church has not held public services since.
“When we learned of multiple cases among our church families and in the Ballymoney area, we took decisive action.
“The church was professionally deep cleaned; a fogging machine was purchased for future sanitisation and the church remains closed.
“This is under constant review.”
Mr. Park addressed his congregation in a Facebook post on November 1, where he said the building would remain closed until November 8 and confirmed it has had a deep clean, he added:
“Now it gets very close and personal, Dr Alan Cairns, our dear friend and brother, so critically ill in hospital on a ventilator from Saturday Week ago.
“Many other in our families and our church suffering because of the virus.
“Many members of the church have succumbed to the virus.”
“We have bought a fogging machine so that our building can be sanitised every week and we’re taking measures, safety measures to keep our people protected.”
Daryl Wilson, a UUP Councillor for Ballymoney, said it is still not clear how many confirmed Covid cases there are, but according to reports the number is around 50, he said:
“It is my understanding that there has been a Covid-19 outbreak amongst the congregation of the Free Presbyterian Church in Ballymoney.
“Some reports on the media and social media are saying there could be as many as 50 people that have been infected, but that’s unverified at the moment.
“But what we do know is that a number of people have unfortunately contracted the illness and we would obviously wish them a full and speedy recovery.
“I do know that the church has all mitigations and measures in place to ensure that they were operating within guidance and guidelines.”