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On the morning of the 28th, about 30 medical staff were deployed to set up a temporary screening clinic in the parking lot of Gwangju Antioch Church, which has about 2,000 congregants, but it remained quiet.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] As the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases related to a large church in the Gwangju area rapidly increased, the quarantine authorities set up a temporary screening clinic at the church, but only a very small number of church members came for testing.

At around 9:30 a.m. on the 28th, a temporary screening clinic was set up in the parking lot of Antioch Church located in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.

The denomination requested mass testing for rapid screening, and since it is a large church with about 2,000 members, about 30 medical staff were deployed.

Eight testing tables were installed, and preparations were made to welcome the expected influx of church members.

However, in reality, only 2 to 3 people came intermittently for testing, making the site quiet.

Soon after, a commotion broke the silence.

A man wandering around here shouted loudly at the medical staff, asking them to properly wear masks.

The man pointed his finger at the medical staff and shouted, “Do you blame the church whenever there is a problem?” and “People eat at restaurants and use public transportation, so how do you know if they got infected at church?”

He then angrily said, “Moon Jae-in is killing the church,” and left the scene.

Another man who came up to the temporary screening clinic here turned back without getting tested. Another church member at the scene chased after him, urging him to get tested, but he hurriedly left, seemingly conscious of the surrounding gaze, saying, “I didn’t get COVID anyway.”

Over about three hours, only about 50 church members came for testing. The thorough preparations of the 30 medical staff went to waste.

There were also signs that some church members did not trust the quarantine authorities.

Rumors were spreading that even if tested at the health center, negative cases could be reported as positive.

In fact, it is known that many church members who said they were from Antioch Church were flocking to a hospital, a private entrusted institution, to get tested.

On the 28th, a student at Gwangdeok High School in Gwangju Metropolitan City tested positive for COVID-19, prompting comprehensive testing for first and second-year students.

At a similar time, a temporary screening clinic was also operated at Gwangdeok High School in Gwangju, after a student there tested positive.

The confirmed Gwangdeok High School student was known to have participated in after-school educational activities, prompting a full investigation of 90 first-year and 140 second-year students.

The students lined up in three rows according to the guidance of medical staff and teachers, got tested, and headed straight home.

The confirmed Gwangdeok High School student was confirmed to have received private tutoring from patient number 1646, an existing confirmed case. Number 1646 was identified as a contact of number 1645 (whose infection route is under investigation), a family member.

A quarantine official said, “Currently, confirmed cases are occurring not only at Gwangdeok High School but also at other high schools and middle schools. However, since they are graduates and it is vacation period, no additional full investigations will be conducted, but detailed reviews will be made through epidemiological investigations.”

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