Social Distancing Level 4 In-Person Religious Events, 'Prohibited' → 'Allowed for Under 20 People'

On the morning of the 18th, a non-face-to-face Sunday service was held at Yoido Full Gospel Church in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The in-person holding of regular religious services such as worship, Mass, and Buddhist ceremonies, which were prohibited under the current Level 4 social distancing measures, will now be allowed.

On the 20th, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, "Under Level 4 social distancing, non-face-to-face worship is basically recommended, but in-person worship will be permitted for up to 10% of the total capacity, with a maximum of 19 people."

This allowance for in-person religious events takes into account a recent administrative court decision partially accepting injunction applications submitted by 14 churches in Seoul and Gyeonggi on the 16th and 17th, which sought to prohibit in-person worship. The court recognized that some religious facilities, such as small-scale ones or those serving elderly populations, face practical limitations in conducting non-face-to-face services. Therefore, while maintaining the current non-face-to-face principle, the court decided that ▲only up to 10% of the total capacity, within a limit of 19 people, may attend ▲churches with prior violations of quarantine rules are excluded ▲gatherings, events, meals, and lodging are completely prohibited ▲outdoor events are not allowed.

Subsequently, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters discussed these court opinions with religious groups and agreed to allow in-person religious events with fewer than 20 participants.

However, Son added, "Facilities with a history of quarantine rule violations or those that were closed due to confirmed cases cannot hold in-person worship." Additionally, for religious facilities without fixed seating or where seating distinctions are difficult, the capacity will be calculated as one person per 6 square meters of permitted area to allow 2-meter distancing, and in-person worship will be permitted up to 10% of this capacity. Even in this case, the maximum number of participants cannot exceed 19.

On the 18th, Seoul conducted on-site inspections of 1,049 religious facilities to check compliance with quarantine rules. It was confirmed that most religious facilities were adhering well to the rules, such as conducting non-face-to-face worship. However, 14 facilities were found to have violated quarantine rules, and penalties such as fines and suspension of operations will be imposed according to law and principles. Among these, four facilities were mistakenly believed to be allowed to hold in-person religious events with up to 19 people immediately after the court’s injunction decision became known.

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