There is no evidence of a direct link between religious gatherings and the source of the COVID-19 outbreak in Shijiazhuang, North China's Hebei province, according to information released at a press conference held on Saturday night in the city.

"It's not a fact as online rumors said, that European and American priests had preached in Gaocheng," Li Zhanling, head of the city's Religious Affairs Bureau, said at the conference.

Xiaoguozhunag village in the city's Gaocheng district, where the first confirmed case in Shijiazhuang lived, has a total of 4,721 residents, 122 of whom are Christians, Li said.

Before the outbreak occurred a week ago, some villagers had attended religious gatherings at a villager's home, which hold the same high risk of virus transmission as other activities that gather groups of people together, she added.

After the outbreak occurred, all religious sites were closed temporarily and all religious activities suspended.

"The religious believers have been very supportive with such suspension as a measure to control infections," Li said.