Three priests of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow have tested positive for coronavirus

Three clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow have contracted the coronavirus, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the telegram channel of the working group under the patriarch for coordinating the activities of church institutions in the context of the coronavirus.

Priest Nikolai Ryzhkov (Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Satisfy My Sorrows" in Maryino), Priest Viktor Volkov (Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Krylatskoye) and Priest Georgy Dekhtyarev (Church of the Ascension at Gorokhovy Pole) were confirmed to have been diagnosed with coronavirus infection.

Two more clergymen of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Krylatskoye have symptoms characteristic of COVID-19, but the results of tests for coronavirus are not yet ready.

“We ask those who have been in contact with these clergy to be attentive to their health and isolate themselves,” the message says.

• In early March, when the first cases of coronavirus infection began to be recorded in Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church refused to impose any restrictions for a long time. On March 17, the patriarch demanded that sanitary rules be tightened during worship, and on March 29 he called on the faithful to refrain from visiting temples until his special blessing and asked them to strictly follow the instructions of the sanitary authorities.