Asymptomatic Shincheonji Daegu Church Members to End Self-Quarantine from the 8th

'Super Spreader Situation' Estimated Point in Time
3 Weeks Passed, Considered Incubation Period Over
Strategy to Minimize Damage Focused on Severe Patients

Daegu Nam-gu Daemyeong-dong Shincheonji Daegu Church

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Among the Shincheonji Church of Jesus Daegu congregation, where many confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have been reported, those without symptoms such as fever or cough will have their self-quarantine lifted starting from the 8th. This decision is based on the judgment that the incubation period has passed and the possibility of surrounding infection is almost none, as three weeks have elapsed since the worship service on the 16th of last month, which is presumed to be the 'super spreader situation.'

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 5th, the government decided, after consultation with Daegu City, to sequentially lift self-quarantine for asymptomatic Shincheonji believers in the Daegu area related to COVID-19. The government and Daegu City have extended the self-quarantine period until the 6th for asymptomatic individuals among the Shincheonji believers in the area.

A government official said, "Diagnostic testing for asymptomatic Shincheonji church members in Daegu has taken a long time, causing many general citizens to be unable to get tested," adding, "We agreed to automatically lift self-quarantine for all asymptomatic individuals starting from the 8th, which marks the third week."

The positivity rate among Shincheonji-related test subjects in Daegu is high, with more than half testing positive in virus diagnostic tests. Although the quarantine authorities and local governments classify them as a 'core group,' since a significant number, including symptomatic individuals, have been confirmed as patients and isolated, the intention is to lift quarantine for those without symptoms to prevent administrative resource waste.

With the number of patients in Daegu exceeding 4,000, it has become increasingly necessary to focus on strategies to prevent further spread, such as other group outbreaks within the region, and to quickly identify and hospitalize severe patients to minimize damage. Considering the incubation period is up to two weeks, the fact that more than one week beyond that has passed without symptoms also influenced this decision, as the likelihood of testing negative is high.

According to Daegu City, about 1,600 believers and trainees have tested negative and had their self-quarantine lifted. Those believers who have not yet undergone diagnostic testing and are still in self-quarantine will have their quarantine lifted sequentially based on the date they received the notification. However, the possibility of an incubation period longer than two weeks cannot be ruled out, and there have been cases domestically where individuals contracted COVID-19 again after symptoms disappeared and virus tests were negative, raising concerns about increased anxiety within the local community.

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