A pastor from a Baptist church in Conway, Arkansas, expressed concern about his congregation's reaction to the coronavirus.

Rev. Josh King, the lead pastor of Second Baptist Church, reported that members of his church think the coronavirus is a hoax promoted by liberals. He told the Washington Post that some of Arkansas's parishioners were willing to go to great lengths to prove there was nothing to fear about the COVID-19 virus.

"One pastor said half of his church is ready to lick the floor, to prove there’s no actual virus," King said after meeting with several other Baptist pastors to discuss halting church services.

Sunday services are a key practice in the Baptist community, leaving many pastors to be hesitant to call off services no matter how severe the coronavirus outbreak gets. King noted that closing churches could be misinterpreted by some who don't believe in the severity of the illness.

"In your more politically conservative regions, closing is not interpreted as caring for you," he explained. "It’s interpreted as liberalism, or buying into the hype."

King, whose church hosts more than 1,100 worshipers each week, opted to hold standard services with some additional precautions. The entire church will be sanitized before and after services. Additionally, greeters are expected to hold open doors for visitors to limit the number of people touching doorknobs in the building. They also moved offering plates to the door, rather than following the tradition of passing the plate and asked members not to shake hands or hug during the services or while sharing coffee after worship.

Churches around the world have been limiting services because of the coronavirus. One church in Washington, D.C., had a coronavirus scare after a member who shared the common cup tested positive for the virus . The Vatican also eliminated crowds for its service on Sunday morning and encouraged more people to watch online .