'Emergency Declared in Gyeongsan-si Due to Surge in Confirmed Cases... Government Designates Special Management Zone'

Daegu and Cheongdo Share the Same Living Area with Many Shincheonji Followers
High Possibility of a Sharp Increase in Confirmed Cases for the Time Being
Designated as a Special Management Zone Following Daegu and Cheongdo

On the afternoon of the 4th, soldiers moved to their assigned areas during a disinfection operation to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) around Gyeongsan Station in Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongbuk Province, conducted jointly by the Army 2nd Operations Command, the 50th Division, Gyeongbuk Province, and Gyeongsan City. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Daegu·Gyeongbuk=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is rapidly increasing in Gyeongsan City, Gyeongbuk Province. Since it shares the same living area as Daegu and has a large population of Shincheonji Church members, there are concerns that the number of confirmed cases may continue to rise significantly. Feeling the seriousness, the government designated Gyeongsan City as a special infectious disease control zone on the 5th.

According to Gyeongsangbuk-do, as of midnight on this day, the number of confirmed cases in Gyeongsan City was counted at 347, an increase of 59 from the previous day. Gyeongsan City has recently shown an explosive surge in confirmed cases, with 56 on the 1st, 27 on the 2nd, 62 on the 3rd, and 56 on the 4th. It has the second highest number of confirmed cases nationwide after Daegu (4,326 cases).

Confirmed cases are also occurring consecutively in nursing facilities with many elderly residents. At Gyeongsan Haengbok Nursing Home, a 95-year-old woman was confirmed positive the day before. This facility houses a total of 53 people, including residents, staff, and daytime care users. The government immediately closed the entire nursing home and is conducting COVID-19 tests on all individuals.

Additionally, two people in their 80s were confirmed positive at the Gyeongsan Chamjoeun Home Care Center. This center, which houses a total of 30 people, was also closed the day before and is undergoing disinfection.

The significant increase in confirmed cases in Gyeongsan City is interpreted to be due to the large number of Shincheonji Church members residing there. In fact, among the 52 additional confirmed Shincheonji members, 48 (92%) are from Gyeongsan. Among the total 376 confirmed Shincheonji members in the province, Gyeongsan members account for 226 (60%). Being in the same living area as Daegu, which has the highest number of confirmed cases, and frequent interactions are also believed to have influenced this.

Accordingly, the government designated Gyeongsan City as a special infectious disease control zone. This is the third designation following Daegu and Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk, on the 21st of last month. Kim Kang-lip, the first chief coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained at the regular briefing that "At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun this morning, it was decided to manage Gyeongsan City as a special infectious disease control area."

Furthermore, the government plans to relocate the pan-government special countermeasure support team currently in Cheongdo to Gyeongsan and establish the pan-government special countermeasure Gyeongbuk support team. Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (director of the National Institute of Health), emphasized, "Even when looking at the entire Gyeongbuk area, the scale of (confirmed cases) occurring in Gyeongsan is large. The influence of Shincheonji, the central amplification group, is significant. Since time has already passed, there is a possibility of secondary transmission to the local community, so focused management is necessary."

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