Gyeongbuk, COVID-19 Cases Continue from Gwanghwamun Rally and Sarang Jeil Church... 15 Confirmed

As of 0:00 on the 21st, the cumulative confirmed cases in Gyeongbuk region are 1,389.

On the morning of the 21st, citizens visiting the COVID-19 screening clinic set up at Seongbuk-gu Public Health Center in Seoul are lining up to get tested. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] In the Gyeongbuk region, concerns about the resurgence of COVID-19 have become a reality as confirmed cases linked to the Seoul Gwanghwamun rally and Sarang Jeil Church have been reported for five consecutive days since the 16th.

As intensive quarantine measures were carried out targeting participants of the Gwanghwamun rally, four people tested positive on the 19th, followed by another four rally-related cases on the 20th.

According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 21st, two women in their 50s from Gyeongsan, a man in his 40s from Gyeongju, and a woman in her 20s from Chilgok were confirmed positive in connection with the Gwanghwamun rally the previous day.

Additionally, a pastor couple in their 50s from Gimcheon, who had contact with confirmed cases in Cheonan, Chungcheong, tested positive and were admitted to Andong Medical Center. The pastor couple were classified as close contacts and tested after their mother and brother, who live in Cheonan, Chungnam, visited a church in Daedeok-myeon on the 14th and were confirmed positive on the 19th in Cheonan.

In the province, the number of confirmed cases related to Sarang Jeil Church and the Gwanghwamun rally increased by four on this day, following 11 cases confirmed between the 16th and 19th, bringing the total to 15. The cases are distributed as follows: three in Pohang, three in Gyeongsan, two in Cheongdo, two in Yeongdeok, one each in Gyeongju, Chilgok, Sangju, Goryeong, and Yecheon.

As of midnight on the 21st, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the Gyeongbuk region rose to 1,389. The number of recovered patients and deaths remained unchanged from the previous day at 1,308 and 58, respectively. Twenty-three confirmed patients are currently hospitalized and receiving treatment at Andong Medical Center (20), Pohang Medical Center (1), and hospitals in other cities and provinces (2).

Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongbuk Province issued an urgent statement on the 19th regarding Sarang Jeil Church and the Gwanghwamun rally. On the 20th, he held a video conference with 23 mayors and county heads, encouraging cooperation from the police and conservative groups who participated in the Gwanghwamun rally to secure the list of rally participants.

Governor Lee stated, "Now is a critical and solemn moment to re-examine the residents' commitment to following quarantine rules and to prepare for a nationwide COVID-19 pandemic." He urged, "Those who visited Seoul Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul from August 7 to 13, participants in the rally near Gyeongbokgung Station on August 8, and participants in the Liberation Day rally on August 15 should promptly undergo COVID-19 diagnostic testing."

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