St. James Lutheran Church Member Tests Positive For Coronavirus

ST. JAMES, NY — A member of the St. James Lutheran Church has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the church announced on its website. The church is at 230 2nd Ave., St. James.

A churchgoer who was in worship Sunday, March 8, developed flu-like symptoms Thursday, was tested Friday and got the test results Saturday.

"We have been speaking with Suffolk County health officials," Rev. Neil Mittelstaedt, the pastor, wrote on the church's site. "They advised us that our members (those who were in church last week) should be monitoring their own condition and only be concerned if they develop symptoms. We have received no advisory to self-quarantine. Self-quarantining is too big a response in the absence of symptoms."

The church has been cleaning surfaces for the past week, Mittelstaedt said. The building won't be used this week, but surfaces will continue to be sanitized periodically.

"Please pray for this member and their family," Mittelstaedt said. "We are all in this together. This member has been wonderfully forthcoming with information."

St. James Lutheran Church made online worship available Sunday.

You can get more information on COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, Mittelstaedt said.