South Korean President Moon Jae-in has instructed the government to step up quarantine measures at churches in a bid to curb a surge in COVID-19 cases related to new clusters of infections in the places of worship, presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2020) South Korean President Moon Jae-in has instructed the government to step up quarantine measures at churches in a bid to curb a surge in COVID-19 cases related to new clusters of infections in the places of worship, presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said on Friday.
South Korea has recently seen an increase in the number of domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, with new clusters of infections being detected in churches and a gathering of employees at a fast-food restaurant. On Friday, South Korea confirmed 85 new locally transmitted infections with 46 of them being linked to churches.
"[The president instructed the government to] take steps to strengthen quarantine over churches, while respecting religious freedom," Kang said, as quoted by the South Korean Yonhap news agency.
The spokesman also said that a church in northern Seoul run by Reverend Jun Kwang-hoon � one of the new clusters of infections � planned to join an anti-government street rally in the central Seoul area of Gwangwhamun scheduled for this weekend despite an administrative order by the city authorities banning the demonstration over coronavirus concerns.
According to the president, the government's response to the pandemic may "crumble" due to such actions by some churches, Kang added.
