CENTRAL, La. — Hundreds of people in Louisiana attended worship services at their church in defiance of the state's ban on gatherings due to COVID-19.
An estimated 500 people of all ages filed into the Life Tabernacle church on Sunday outside of Baton Rouge. The service came a day after New Orleans police broke up what they described as a "funeral repast" of about 100 people.
Assistant ministers and worshippers who stood outside the front doors and in the parking lot told news reporters to leave.
The Rev. Tony Spell, who also claims his services cure cancer and HIV, said no “dictator law” should keep people from worshiping God.
The Louisiana pastor declared that the coronavirus is “politically motivated” and continues to lead hundreds of people in church services.
Most people recover from this highly contagious virus in weeks, but the elderly and infirm can get pneumonia, which can lead to death.
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