"Rode a Quarantine Taxi"... Pastor's Wife of Korea's First Domestic Omicron Case Charged Without Detention for Lying

Most Charges Related to False Statements Admitted

The pastor's wife who lied to health authorities after being confirmed as the first domestic Omicron variant case will face trial without detention.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Wooseok] The wife of a pastor who was the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in South Korea and lied to quarantine authorities will face trial without detention.

According to the legal community on the 1st, the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office indicted Mrs. A, the wife of a pastor at a church in Incheon, without detention on the 24th of last month for violating the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act.

Mrs. A is accused of lying that she took a quarantine taxi after testing positive for COVID-19 on November 25, 2021.

It is known that Mrs. A attended a Christian-related academic seminar in Nigeria with her husband and tested positive for COVID-19 the day after returning to Korea on November 25. The couple was later confirmed as the first domestic cases of the Omicron variant on December 1.

Upon returning, she entered through Incheon International Airport and went home by car with acquaintance Mr. B, but during the epidemiological investigation, she falsely stated that she used a quarantine taxi.

Due to Mrs. A's lie, Mr. B was excluded from close contact status and went out for several days, and his wife and mother-in-law visited a large church in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, which led to a cluster infection.

Michuhol-gu reported Mrs. A to the police last December, stating that she caused the spread of local infection. Mrs. A is known to have admitted all charges related to false statements during the police investigation.

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