An Oregon church held a wedding. Then local coronavirus cases skyrocketed.

Churches have become a major source of coronavirus infections in smaller communities across the United States, even when health protocols are followed, The New York Times reports.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 650 cases have been linked to nearly 40 churches and religious events across the country, many of them occurring over the last month, per the Times. That number doesn't place church services as a leading source of infections on a national scale, but in certain places many cases can be traced to reopenings.

For example, when the Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church in Island City, Oregon, which is in the rural northeastern region of the state, reopened on May 22 there were only six confirmed coronavirus cases in the county. Now, there are 356 and the Times reports many of those can be traced to the church. Patients include the pastor and his wife, who was hospitalized. Dan Satterwhite, a pastor at an affiliated church in the neighboring town of Pendleton, said the outbreak likely stems from a wedding held at the church in Island City.

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Religious leaders like Satterwhite are often placed in a difficult position. He said he initially livestreamed services, but congregants — including those who did not have reliable access to internet — were determined to return to in-person services. So far, social distancing and mask-wearing are common at Satterwhite's own church, but the risks remain. "I am trying to do the right thing," he said. "I know a lot of people don't feel this way, but those that do, feel that church is essential." Read more at The New York Times.