A pastor who dismissed the threat of coronavirus and discouraged mask wearing has end up in intensive care with Covid-19.

Paul Van Noy announced in a message on his church website on Monday that he had suffered an extremely serious brush with coronavirus, while his wife and five other staff of Candlelight Church in Idaho were also infected.

Van Noy finally appears to grasped the seriousness of the pandemic when he wrote: ‘I am watching in prayer that there are no new cases and we can all be back together, worshipping together as called, very soon.’

Throughout the pandemic, Van Noy wrote numerous Facebook posts containing false claims that masks are not effective, challenging his congregants to go against state mandates and CDC health guidelines.

‘It has been clearly and scientifically proven that many masks do not aid in the prevention of Covid-19 transmission, we will not close down our church, we will not stop singing praises to the Lord, and we will not be required to wear masks.’

His church did close its doors for two weeks for deep cleaning before reopening for more in-person services on Sunday.

Even after Van Noy and his wife’s diagnosis, the church has continued to proudly push its noncompliance with Idaho’s state mandate which mandates wearing of masks in public places. ‘We at Candlelight are exercising our freedom, and the right to allow you as members, to come into the facilities without the obligation to observe the Panhandle Health District “order.”

Roy’s wife, Brenda in a Facebook post after contracting Covid-19: “I haven’t taken this Covid seriously enough. I’m humbled.”

Church members recently held a vigil outside the hospital—and they weren’t wearing masks.

More than 200,00 Americans have died from Coronavirus.