Florida residents pack into megachurch after pastor promises cure for coronavirus

While scientists and doctors are urging people to social-distance to stop the spread of the coronavirus, one Florida megachurch bucked the trend to host their own service on Sunday that packed people in with a dangerous crowd.

The River Church in Tampa was packed with people looking for hope, TMZ reported Sunday. Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne has denounced the social distancing claiming that he can cure the coronavirus just like he did with the Zika virus (which still exists).

Howard-Browne promised his flock that he would never close the church, regardless of what scientists and doctors say.

"We are not stopping anything. I've got news for you, this church will never close. The only time the church will close is when the Rapture is taking place," he said two weeks ago.

Many churches are still doing their services, but have taken it to stream video where people can watch on YouTube or Facebook on Sunday mornings from the safety of their own homes.

"We brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place, and uh, if somebody walks through the door it's like, it kills everything on them. If they sneeze, it shoots it down at like 100 mph. It'll neutralize it in split seconds. We have the most sterile building in, I don't know, all of America," he said, promising his church was clean.

The cleanliness of the church does not impact someone coming into the church and spreading the disease from person to person, however.

“And we disturbed [the Zika virus], declared we cursed that thing in the name of Jesus and Zika disappeared,” the pastor said last month.

"We are doing the same thing with the Coronavirus," he added. "We do not need it on these shores, and obviously — somebody said 'Well, what about the rest of the world?' I can't be responsible for every city or whatever."

See the crowd at Sunday service below: