Geochang-gun, Religious Facility Violating Quarantine Rules... Operation Suspension and Legal Action Taken

A Total of 19 Confirmed Cases, 10-Day Suspension of Operations, and a Fine of 1.5 Million KRW Imposed

Geochang County Office building exterior view

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam announced on the 6th that it issued a prior administrative disposition notice on the 3rd regarding a religious facility that violated quarantine rules, imposing a 10-day suspension of operations starting from the 4th along with a fine of 1.5 million KRW.

On the 5th, four additional cases (a family) related to COVID-19 patient number 62 were confirmed through testing before the end of self-quarantine. Since August 15, the total number of confirmed cases in Geochang-gun has reached 50, causing an emergency situation in the administration.

Due to the unprecedented number of recent confirmed cases, the county had taken preemptive measures such as shutting down public facilities until the 31st, but as additional cases continue to occur, it is causing significant damage to the local community’s economy and administration.

Meanwhile, among the 50 confirmed cases in Geochang-gun since August 15, 19 were identified as worshippers or related persons of the said religious facility.

During the epidemiological investigation of the movements following a confirmed case’s visit to the religious facility on the 15th of last month, suspected violations of quarantine rules were found. Although 31 people attended, only 16 were registered in the visitor log, revealing negligence in managing the visitor list.

Furthermore, despite the 10-day suspension of operations starting from the 4th, some believers were found to have attended worship services on Sunday the 5th, violating quarantine rules.

Accordingly, under Article 49 of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act, a prior notice of administrative disposition was issued for the 10-day suspension starting from the 4th, and under Article 83 of the same law, a fine of 1.5 million KRW was imposed. The county plans to file a complaint with the police on the 6th regarding the forced continuation of worship services.

County Governor Gu In-mo stated, “The disclosure of visitor logs or the safe call system operated in restaurants is not to expose movement paths but a safety measure to protect from COVID-19,” and added, “We ask the residents to actively participate in maintaining the clean image of Geochang by following the rules well.”

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