We’re to blame! So glad that’s been cleared that up.

A conservative preacher from Tennessee thinks the coronavirus is a response to same-sex marriage.

Last week, Perry Stone told his supporters at his church in Cleveland that the global pandemic – which has killed over 17,000 and infected 390,000 people worldwide (as of writing) – is a “reckoning” from God for marriage equality and abortion.

According to Right Wing Watch, Stone said: “If this is a moment of reckoning, and I know it is, I know what I heard, I did not make that up. I audibly heard the phrase, a male voice speaking, and I believe it was the Holy Spirit.

“Why is there a reckoning? Because we have by law forced God out of our country and basically told him, ‘In public places, you’re not welcome.’ You’re not welcomed in our schools, so our schools are now shut down.”

Stone continued to say that the coronavirus is a direct response to the lack of prayer in school, abortion and gay marriage,.

“There is a reckoning because the courts of the land passed a law to take an infant’s life, that it was OK, and for marriage as we have known it to be changed into something we have never known,” he told his congregation.

“Both of their laws are what God calls an abomination. The Bible teaches us that God is long-suffering, he is not willing that any perish, he wants everyone to come to repentance, but there will be a time when the Lord says, ‘Enough is enough.’”

It’s important to note that same-sex marriage isn’t even legal in China, Italy and Iran – the three countries that have been affected most by the coronavirus.

Social distancing and staying inside has been advised by government and health officials to help fight the spread of the global pandemic.

It is also encouraged that we wash our hands frequently, avoid touching our eyes, nose and mouth, and practice respiratory hygiene by covering our mouth and nose with our bent elbow or tissue when we cough or sneeze. 

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, it is vital that you seek medical care.

For more information, check out the World Health Organisation’s guidelines on the coronavirus pandemic here.

Related: LGBTQ people are more vulnerable to coronavirus for three reasons.