The public health authorities entered into a state of emergency Wednesday, as the community outbreaks stemming from a controversial church in Seoul showed signs of nationwide spreads as was the case in Daegu five months ago.

Korea reported 297 new virus cases – 283 local infections and 14 foreign arrivals -- raising the cumulative caseload to 16,058 as of midnight Tuesday. It was the largest daily tally since mass infections occurred last Friday, pushing up the six-day total to 1,288.

Health officials said the nation is facing a "crisis of desperation," calling for the general public’s cooperation.

The government began to apply reinforced Level 2 social distancing in the Seoul metro region on Tuesday, as the number of infected surpassed 1,000 in just five days, but finds it difficult to contain the spread even with these measures.

According to the strengthened social distancing regime, meetings and events of 50 or more people indoors and over 100 outdoors are prohibited until Aug. 30. Not only exhibitions, public hearings, ceremonies, and recruitment exams but also private gatherings, including weddings, alumni meetings, and funerals, cannot be held if the number of participants exceeds the limits.

In addition to small gatherings and dining meetings, all in-person worship services are prohibited at churches. Twelve types of high-risk facilities, such as clubs, karaokes, and internet cafes, have to close their stores temporarily .

National and public facilities, including museums, libraries, and art galleries, also have to suspend their service. However, logistics centers, one of the high-risk facilities, are allowed to operate as they are considered essential industrial installations.

Churches have to conduct their regular worships in a non-face-to-face way. Other religious facilities, such as cathedrals, temples, and mosques, can provide regular in-person services if they abide by the preventive rules.

A continued surge in church-related infections put the greater Seoul area has put the government to consider stricter measures against a church at the center of the Covid-19 resurgence.

The majority of the recent infections have come from Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, whose pastor, Jun Kwang-hoon, has led several anti-government rallies in central Seoul. In the most recent rally held Saturday, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Gwanghwamun, chanting slogans and sitting close to one another. Out of the 252 newly confirmed people on Tuesday, 140 were linked to the controversial church. As of Wednesday noon, the accumulated caseload related to Sarang Jeil Church has reached 623.

The police will investigate some 7,600 officers put into the rally held by Sarang Jeil Church to find out whether they were infected. As the new virus cases continue to appear from those who participated in the rally, the police who have contacted them could have been infected.

“The Seoul Metropolitan Government should work together with the prosecution and police department to secure an accurate list of church members through forced administrative investigations as soon as possible,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said.

On Wednesday, the three domestic mobile phone service companies decided to pass on the base station's access information near where the Sarang Jeil Church held the assembly to the health authorities.

The three telecom carriers will use the same way as when cluster infections spread from the Itaewon clubs in early May. At that time, the three companies handed over more than 10,000 people who accessed the base station near the clubs to the health authorities.

Prime Minister Chung said there are opinions that the government should raise the social distancing policy to the highest degree of Level 3. Still, the current situation does not meet the requirements, he said.

Seventy-two more people recovered, increasing the number of cured patients to 14,006, with 1,746 receiving treatment, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. The death toll remained at 306 as no one died of Covid-19 on Tuesday. The nation has tested 1,715,064 suspected patients since Jan. 3.

shim531@docdocdoc.co.kr

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