As experts warn that the worst is still ahead when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, the pastor of a megachurch in South Florida is encouraging his parishioners to put their worries aside and continue attending services, The Miami Herald reports.

During a sermon on Sunday at King Jesus International Ministry in Kendall, pastor Guillermo Maldonado called fears of coronavirus exposure a “demonic spirit.” He then suggested that believers in God would be protected from the virus.

“Do you believe God would bring his people to his house to be contagious with the virus?” Maldonado asked. “Of course not.”

Maldonado acknowledged to church-goers that people were staying home in fear of spreading the virus, but suggested those concerns were unreasonable.

“If we die, we die for Christ. If we live, we live for Christ, so what do you lose?”

“Fear is a demonic spirit,” Maldonado said elsewhere in the service. “That’s what the bible says.”

Before Sunday’s service, Maldonado spoke in a now-deleted Facebook video and downplayed the dangers of the coronavirus.

“You have two choices. Come in and receive your healing, or stay home and miss out,” he said.

Other pastors at Maldonado’s church have followed his lead and encouraged people to attend their services and continue donating to ensure their “protection” in the days ahead.

“Your economy is not the economy of the world,” said Pastor Frank Hechevarria, amid bleak economic forecasts. “You operate in a higher economy and the economy of the kingdom of God.”

Contrary to the statements made by the clergymen at King Jesus International, Carlos Espinal – director of the Global Health Consortium at Florida International University, – urged people to listen to experts and avoid public areas. Such precautions have been recommended to help older individuals and those with compromised immune systems.

In a piece for CNN, Angela Dewan claimed the coronavirus is bringing out the “worst in humanity,” pointing to “irrational and selfish incidents” that have been punctuating the news cycle in recent weeks. According to Dewan, such incidents raise the question of whether the world can unite and slow the spread of COVID-19.

Maldonado’s church is not the only place where people are minimizing the dangers of the current pandemic. Many Fox News hosts and personalities have been attempting to curb fears of the virus, and some continue to compare it to the common flu. In one example, Sean Hannity compared coronavirus deaths to those from the flu, despite speaking to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the day before about the higher mortality rate of COVID-19.