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David Lah, and three others, have been charged with defying a ban on large gatherings imposed in the country to slow the spread of the deadly virus. He has been charged with contravening the 2013 Natural Disaster Management Law, which is punishable by imprisonment for up to three years and a possible fine. The controversial pastor claimed devout Christians were immune to the coronavirus, before catching Covid-19 himself in April.

In a clip, which quickly went viral, Mr Lah said: “I can guarantee that the church that goes by Jesus’s teaching, there will be no infection.”

Days later he tested positive.

It is believed at least 71 coronavirus cases have been linked to the large group services.

On May 7, Mr Lah was discharged from hospital after his tests came back negative twice.

He was then quarantined for 21 days in a Yangon hotel after his neighbours refused to have him quarantined at home.

The Canadian passport holder is on the list for evacuation at the end of May and could receive a reduced sentence.

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He and three other church members will face court when they finish their quarantine and when the court system reopens in the country.

He is a controversial figure because of his polarizing views and has been widely condemned for his anti-LGBT and Islamaphobic rhetoric.

Christian leaders in Myanmar have appealed to citizens in the Buddhist-majority country to work together to fight Covid-19 in “unity and love” as anti-Christian sentiment surges on social media following the activities of the pastor.

They also urged people not to post and share fake news, photos and videos on Facebook that may be offensive to religion.

Currently, the country has recorded 181 cases of the virus, with six deaths.

However, it has been slow to roll out testing, with approximately 3,200 tested so far, out of a population of 54 million people.

Myanmar banned international flights at the end of March in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.

On Thursday the UK expressed concerns about the recent escalation between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army in Rakhine and Chin States, and the heavy toll this is taking on civilians at the time of a global Covid-19 crisis.

Aid workers had previously warned there could be a potential humanitarian disaster if COVID-19 reached Rohingya refugee camps.

More than 730,000 Rohingya arrived in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar in 2017.

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