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South Korea A new outbreak related to the New Heavenly sect has been discovered in the city of Seongnam, south of Seoul, with nearly a third of its followers infected with nCoV.
Grace River Church in Seongnam was closed yesterday after 40 confirmed cases of nCoV infection, including the pastor and his wife, city officials said. Earlier, officials also discovered 6 cases in this church, bringing the total number of cases to 46 of 135 followers.
Health workers bring suspected nCoV patients to hospitals in Daegu on March 12 Photo: AFP
According to officials, the pastor, his wife and devotees became infected after attending the ceremony on March 8. The church still hosts ceremonies, although the government repeatedly asks the public to avoid crowds, including religious ceremonies. One of the church's followers attended at least four New Heavenly sect ceremonies in Daegu city before being infected.
The church is located on part of the third and fourth floors of the commercial building. People who live nearby said about 100 worshipers gathered in the chapel on the third floor, accounting for about 100 square meters, every Sunday. About 20-30 followers also frequent the week.
The new epidemic cluster in Seongnam has raised concerns about the spread of the epidemic cluster in Seoul. Seongnam is currently the second largest epidemic cluster in the capital area after a customer care center appeared 124 cases. An epidemic cluster originating from a church and internet cafe in Dongdaemun Ward also infected 24 people.
South Korea currently records more than 8,200 nCoV infections, of which about 60% are related to the New Heavenly Earth, a cult that is considered a heresy in the country. South Korea used to be the second largest epidemic region in the world, after mainland China, but the number of new cases has dropped rapidly since early March, raising hopes of the disease being under control.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) today announced 74 new cases, the second consecutive increase under 100. The country also recorded 75 deaths, mostly elderly people. have a pathological background.
