DESCANSO, Calif. (KGTV) - Reports of a positive COVID-19 test at an East County Catholic church are raising concerns about possible exposure.
The church is Our Lady of Light Catholic Church in Descanso. On a Facebook post, a board member of the Descanso Town Hall reported a positive case was just revealed to the church pastor by a parishioner.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of San Diego says the parishioner is a volunteer who helps prepare the altar for services. She wore a mask and maintained social distance.
According to the post, "the person who tested positive was actively involved in all mass and church activities while having symptoms for a week so exposure is possible."
The woman remains ill and is now in quarantine at home.
The post goes on to explain that exposure was possible for anyone who went to mass in the past two weeks, which includes some 16 different services.
It's unclear how many people that totals, but one parishioner tells ABC 10News pre-pandemic attendance for bigger masses numbered in the dozens.
The apparent positive test comes amid coronavirus shutdown orders banning indoor church services in the county.
The Diocese says the pastor, Father Enrique Fuentes, received a coronavirus test. Any outdoor masses won't take place until the result is known.
According to the Diocese, the county has not yet contacted the church about the positive case, but the pastor decided to go ahead and close the church for deep cleaning and inform other volunteers she was in contact with.
