16 Confirmed Cases from Sinan Church... Local Infection Spreads Rapidly

Seven family members in Muan confirmed positive after contact with elderly couple in their 70s

Church suspected of violating quarantine rules with in-person lecture, investigation and possible prosecution underway

On the 12th, a screening clinic was set up in Jido-eup, Sinan-gun, where residents notified as contacts were undergoing tests late into the night. (Photo by Sinan-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Seo Young-seo] The COVID-19 community infection related to Sinan Jido Church is spreading rapidly. Including 9 cases in Sinan, 7 people in Muan have been infected, resulting in 16 confirmed cases.

According to Muan County on the 16th, the COVID-19 that started from a couple in their 70s in Jido has spread to the local community through the church, increasing the number of infected people to 16 within two days.

After the couple in their 70s, who had contact with their son in Wanju, Jeonbuk on the 8th, tested positive on the 14th, epidemiological investigations confirmed that 7 people in Sinan and 3 people in Muan tested positive by the early morning of the 16th.

The three people in Muan are a grandfather, grandmother, and granddaughter living in Haeje-myeon, who were infected after contact with the couple in their 70s at Jido Baptist Church on the 7th.

Notably, on the morning of the 16th, the granddaughter’s mother tested positive, followed by the granddaughter’s father, uncle, and grandfather testing positive in the evening, resulting in a whole family being infected consecutively. The granddaughter’s uncle and grandfather reside in Hyeonggyeong-myeon, Muan, expanding the affected areas to two myeon.

Since the infection began at the church in Jido-eup on the 7th, more than a week has passed, and due to the high activity of the infected individuals, the number of contacts has increased exponentially, raising concerns about further spread.

A Muan County official said, “We are testing the largest number of residents since the COVID-19 outbreak,” and urged, “Residents who visited Haeje Saemaeul Geumgo or Jido Baptist Church between the 9th and 15th should definitely get tested at screening clinics.”

Amid the spread of COVID-19 originating from Jido Church, the church is suspected of violating quarantine rules by holding a lecture event.

Sinan County and Muan County are concerned that more confirmed cases may emerge because although the church is located in Jido-eup, Sinan County, residents from the connected Haeje-myeon in Muan County also attend.

In particular, it is known that the pastor of Jido Church held face-to-face lectures for seven days from the 25th to the 31st of last month, and quarantine authorities are reviewing legal action for violating quarantine rules.

There is also a possibility that the couple in their 70s, initially classified as the first confirmed cases, were infected at the church rather than from their son, who is a confirmed case in Jeonbuk.

The son in Jeonbuk had contact with the couple on the 8th, and the confirmed cases in Muan were found to have had contact with the couple on the 7th, raising questions about the infection sequence according to quarantine authorities.

Meanwhile, Sinan County has decided to conduct a full COVID-19 screening test for 4,000 residents of Jido-eup to block the spread originating from Jido Church.

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