Yeongdeungpo-gu Urgently Inspects Multi-Use Facilities Including PCs and Karaoke Rooms

Emergency On-Site Inspection of 299 Churches and Religious Facilities... 193 Inspectors Verify Implementation of Non-Face-to-Face Worship on Site

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) recently mobilized about 300 staff members to conduct extensive on-site inspections of churches and PC rooms in the area to prevent COVID-19 cluster infections occurring in densely populated facilities such as churches.

Following the elevation of social distancing to Level 2, the district delivered guidelines on compliance with quarantine rules to churches and religious facilities in the area, and from the 19th, formed inspection teams to conduct urgent inspections of religious facilities during midweek and Sunday services.

A total of 193 inspectors visited 299 religious facilities, including 275 churches and 24 other religious facilities such as Catholic, Buddhist, and Won Buddhism centers, to check whether they had switched to non-face-to-face services in accordance with the Level 2 social distancing measures.

As a result of the inspections, the district urged nine churches that had not switched to non-face-to-face services to do so again, and on the 30th, conducted a second round of on-site inspections of local religious facilities.

The district plans to take strong measures such as issuing assembly bans to facilities that fail to comply with quarantine rules despite repeated warnings.

In addition, the district conducted two rounds of extensive on-site inspections of private multi-use facilities such as PC rooms and singing practice rooms.

On the 19th, the district issued assembly ban orders to singing practice rooms and PC rooms, and 133 district staff formed inspection teams to attach assembly ban notices and deliver official documents to 428 singing practice rooms and PC rooms in the area from 6 p.m. onwards.

The staff visited businesses subject to the assembly ban order to check whether they had ceased operations, attached the assembly ban notices to the entrances, and took immediate action to evict some businesses that were still operating.

Subsequently, from the 25th to the 27th, the district conducted a second on-site inspection to ensure compliance with the assembly ban order, taking measures to ensure all businesses complied.

Also, on the 25th, a joint nighttime inspection with the police was conducted on 33 businesses including singing practice rooms in Daerim-dong, a vulnerable area for public safety, confirming that all businesses had ceased operations.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “We will take proactive measures to prevent COVID-19 cluster infections in local churches and other facilities,” adding, “We will concentrate all administrative efforts on blocking community transmission to protect the lives and safety of our residents.”

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