Coronavirus: Bishop dies after disregarding social distancing guidelines

A pastor in the United States — who defied social distancing guidelines — died after contracting coroanvirus, CNN reported on Tuesday.

The Pastor, Gerald Glen was of the New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Virginia, according to the US-based publication.

The religious leader went against guidelines and warnings issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to avoid congregations and maintain social distance to curb the pandemic.

Glenn, in a sermon on March 22, said: "I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus," and announced he was not afraid to die.

The pastor's daughter on April 4 posted a video, revealing that both Glen and his wife, Marcietia Glenn, had tested positive for COVID-19.

The church's post announcing the bishop's death read that others would allow the "First Family to grieve in their own way."

"While they are mourning the heartbreaking earthly absence of their family patriarch & spiritual father, they also have family members who are struggling to survive this dreaded pandemic," the Facebook post said.

The United States is in the lead in terms of deaths and tally of total infected. The country has recorded as many as 583,000 infected cases and over 23,000 deaths.

Officials have recorded more than 1.9 million cases and as many as 120,000 deaths since the virus emerged in China in December.