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EPA
Museums, nightclubs and karaoke bars have been closed in and around the South Korean capital, Seoul, as Covid-19 cases reach a height of five months.
The country reported another 297 new cases on Wednesday – the highest daily figure since March.
South Korea is considered one of the world’s persecution stories for coronavirus for its management of the disease.
But a spike in new cases linked mostly to a church has caused a broader outbreak.
Wednesday saw a triple-digit increase in cases for a sixth day after weeks with figures generally around 40s. Of the 297 reported infections, 252 were in the greater Seoul area.
Many of the new cases are linked to Sarang Jeil Church, whose pastor has been a vocal critic of President Moon Jae-in.
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It follows another outbreak at another place of worship, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which was identified earlier this year as South Korea’s largest virus cluster.
The controversial group was found to link to more than 5,200 cases.
A total of 623 members of Sarang Jeil Church have been infected so far, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
Ten of these people were confirmed to have attended anti-government demonstrations in Seoul over the past two weekends, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Church members do not abstain from Covid-19 measures
This is a moment of “grave crisis” in South Korea’s fight against coronavirus, health officials say.
There are two main concerns. Firstly that the outbreak is in the very populated greater Seoul area, and secondly that the cluster contains yet another very mysterious church and hundreds of members have provided false contact information at meetings.
Let us not forget, South Korea has been in this position before and overcame it. The highly efficient track-and-trace system, coupled with multiple test facilities, has brought cluster outbreaks under control.
But members of Sarang Jeil’s church rallied in central Seoul over the weekend, ignoring warnings from health officials that they were spreading the risk of the virus.
Domestic media have also shown images of church members shouting and swearing at tracers with virus contact. It seems that some of them believe that this is part of a conspiracy to close the judicial church, which is very critical of President Moon’s administration. They are also reluctant to follow up on quarantine orders or get a test.
Authorities have the power to introduce stricter social distance guidelines and they have shut down facilities such as karaoke rooms and nightclubs. Most companies based in Seoul have also told their employees that they need to work from home.
But obedience to troubled church members who are most at risk of catching and spreading the virus can become more difficult.
Authorities have already banned church services in person because they are trying to track down church members to ask them to take and test self-quarantine.
“We are facing a crisis, if if the current spread is not controlled, it would lead to an exponential rise in cases, which in turn could lead to the collapse of our medical system and enormous economic damage,” said Jeong Eun-kyeong. director of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, earlier this week.
As of Wednesday, 12 high-risk business categories, including nightclubs, karaoke bars and buffet restaurants, will have to suspend operations in Seoul, Incheon and neighboring Gyeonggi province.
Museums are also closed and indoor gatherings of more than 50 people, and outdoor games of more than 100, are prohibited.
