The Eureka Pentecostal Church in Eureka, California has been linked to about 110 cases of COVID-19 in Humboldt County. On April 23, 2021, a mobile testing van from the County Public Health Branch was parked in front of the church. The church’s administration confirmed that members have tested positive. “We had gone over an entire year with no outbreak at the church, but despite our best efforts, the virus was introduced to our congregation,” a statement from the church said.
Members of Eureka the Pentecostal Church recently posted videos shot at a regional youth gathering held April 9 and 10 in Stockton. The videos show singers and musicians on stage at an indoor venue, performing for a crowd of hundreds of people who can be seen dancing, jumping up and down and singing in close proximity to one another. Very few in the audience were wearing masks.
Tyler Sullivan, the youth president of a Pentecostal organization called Western District Youth Division, announced the event, saying, “After almost a year of us not being able to come together, we are finally coming together for an in-person, district-wide youth gathering” at the Christian Life Center in Stockton. Regarding capacity for the event, Sullivan said, “With churches and regulations being at only 25 percent [capacity] as of this moment, we are only going to allow 1,200 registrants in per service.” Videos posted on social media make it clear they met or exceeded the capacity expectations. The audience mostly failed to maintain social distancing and face coverings, as recommended by the CDC and other public health organizations.
On April 23, 2021, the Humboldt County Joint Information Center announced that 20 more county residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases this week to 130.