Church at the Center of Cluster Infection Faces 'Critical Emergency'

Attendees of Liberation Day Rally
Local Church COVID-19 Spread
Main Secondary Transmission Source This Month
About Half Related to Churches

Medical staff at a screening clinic set up at a church in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 19th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The spread of new coronavirus infections (COVID-19) originating from churches is becoming serious. Believers who gathered to attend the August 15th Liberation Day rally have visited local churches again, causing infections, indicating that the second wave of COVID-19 spread is also centered around churches.

According to health authorities on the 27th, about half of the cluster infections this month are related to churches. The health authorities have identified a total of 33 locations as major sites of confirmed cases caused by secondary or further transmission. Among these, 13 are churches and prayer centers, and including the rallies at Gwanghwamun and Gyeongbokgung Station, the total is 15 locations. More than 20 church facilities have been reported where confirmed patients' movement paths overlapped.

In particular, on the afternoon of the previous day, many church members in Incheon and Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, were confirmed positive for COVID-19. In Incheon, 61 new COVID-19 cases were reported the day before, of which 29 were confirmed to be church-related cases, including members of 'Joonim's Church' in Seo-gu. In Gwangju, 28 confirmed cases were identified in a single day at Gwangju Seongnim Baptist Church. Out of 1,401 tests conducted, results for 739 have been confirmed, suggesting that the number of confirmed cases is likely to increase further. In addition, many local infection cases are also centered around local churches.

Experts point to the church's internal structure, where religious life and economic solidarity are intertwined, as the reason why cluster infections occur predominantly in churches. A sociology professor who requested anonymity said, "Small and medium-sized churches are places where influential figures such as local businessmen, self-employed individuals, and politicians gather for social activities, and the church is maintained by tithes and offerings they give. If offline worship is prohibited, this link in local small and medium churches can be broken. Because of this, it is difficult to easily stop activities such as worship and various meetings."

Within this structure, when face-to-face worship is held, droplets are spread indoors through hymns and loud prayers, leading to a vicious cycle of cluster infections. Additionally, active small group meetings and close contact during meals after worship are also causes. Since early this month, church activities such as summer Bible schools and small group meetings have increased, leading to a significant rise in infection cases. Since the senior pastor oversees church operations, if the pastor is less sensitive to COVID-19, safety rules may be violated, which is another vulnerability.

However, despite this situation, some churches still continue face-to-face worship. Seoul City inspected whether 3,984 churches in the city complied with the gathering restriction orders last weekend and found 17 churches conducting face-to-face worship, resulting in violations. Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital said, "It is difficult to trace infection routes for visitors who are not registered church members, which is one of the reasons why unexplained 'dark cluster infections' are increasing nationwide," adding, "Since COVID-19 is resurging centered around churches, focused responses are necessary."

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