Las Vegas priest tests positive for coronavirus

The Diocese of Las Vegas announced Thursday that a priest from Holy Family Catholic Church has tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to a statement released by the diocese, the priest celebrated Mass on Wednesday wearing a mask and, as diocesan protocol requires, using hand sanitizer. He was notified later in the day that he tested positive.

The church is at 4490 S. Mountain Vista St.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Parish is immediately closing for sanitization and cleaning and will be closed until further notice,” the diocese said.

“We have a moral and ethical obligation to notify anyone who attended the 8:30 a.m. Mass on July 8th at Holy Family Catholic Church that this Priest was in attendance and recommend that they seek testing,” said Steve Meriwether, the diocese’s director of security. “All individuals working at the Parish who have come in contact with the Priest have been notified to self-quarantine and will be tested.”

Catholic churches in the diocese were permitted to reopen for in-person worship the weekend of May 30 under specific conditions. As part of the reopening process, Bishop George Leo Thomas created a Diocesan Restoration Council to develop protocols that conform to health and safety guidelines of the Southern Nevada Health District and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The protocols include enforcing a 50-person maximum attendance, requiring temperature checks, social distancing and mask-wearing, administering of Communion only in the form of the host and eliminating the Sign of Peace.

Thomas also has granted dispensation from area Catholics’ obligation to attend Sunday Mass in person. That order remains in effect.

Contact John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JJPrzybys on Twitter.