Busan City to Complete Full Survey of Over 14,500 Shincheonji Followers Today

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jong-hyo] Amid the ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Busan City has secured information on approximately 14,000 Shincheonji Church of Jesus followers and launched a full-scale survey.

On the afternoon of the 27th, Busan City held a press conference and announced that it plans to complete a full survey of the entire list of Shincheonji followers by the end of today.

Earlier, around 8 p.m. on the 26th, the city received information containing the names, addresses, dates of birth, and contact details of 14,521 Shincheonji followers residing in Busan through the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and began the investigation.

407 district and county public officials were appointed as persons in charge to verify the current residence, presence of symptoms, and whether they visited the Shincheonji Daegu Church for all followers, and all are being advised to self-quarantine.

When contact is made with the followers, their current residence, presence of symptoms, and whether they visited the Daegu Shincheonji Church are confirmed. For those who cannot be reached, their whereabouts are identified with the cooperation of the police.

If there are circumstances suggesting a risk of infection, immediate measures will be taken to allow them to visit nearby screening clinics for testing. The city explained that the final results of the full survey will be announced in a briefing tomorrow.

Oh Geo-don, Mayor of Busan, said, "Places included in the confirmed patients' movement paths are being thoroughly disinfected immediately to eliminate any risk of infection," adding, "However, due to anxiety that confirmed patients have visited, citizens are reluctant to use these places, threatening the survival of the businesses involved."

Mayor Oh also stated, "We will benchmark Seoul City and attach a 'Clean Zone' mark to businesses that have become safe zones and actively promote this through websites and other means," and added, "Furthermore, we will promptly consult with the city council regarding an emergency supplementary budget, including support measures for small business owners as part of an emergency economic plan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.