Seoul (UCAN): Thousands of South Koreans are demanding the dissolution of the sect called the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, based in the Daegu area, after authorities held it responsible for spreading the Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, resulting than 1,000 people infected within a week.
Korea’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported 5,328 confirmed cases on March 4. Just a few week previous, on February 19, it had only 82 cases when some 40 of the cases were traced to the Shincheonji Church and the people who attended prayer services.
Some 552,000 people have called for the closure of the sect in an online petition on the website of the presidential office.
The government has announced a plan to test more than 200,000 members of the sect after its founder, Lee Man-hee, agreed to provide the names of all its members on the understanding that their details would not be made public.
“We obtained a list of 212,000 numbers of the Shincheonji believers last night,” vice health minister, Kim Gang-lip, told media on February 26.
Authorities identified a 61-year-old female as the one who spread the virus among its members. She attended prayer services after developing symptoms of the virus. She tested positive for the virus on February 10.
Lee said the sect is cooperating with the government. “We have been actively cooperating with the government to prevent the spread of the virus and overcome the outbreak,” he said in a letter posted online.
Media reported that the 88-year-old Lee twice got down on his knees, bowing his head to the floor in a public apology in front of reporters during a press conference on March 2.
The government plans to conduct Covid-19 tests on all sect members as soon as possible, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Critics allege that the Shincheonji Church maintains the characteristics of a secretive sect and its hidden activities helped the virus go undetected. The fringe Christian sect is said to have branches in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in December.
Lee reportedly claims that he is the second coming of Christ on Earth and has unique insights into God’s revelations.
The Centre for Disease Control said that it was probing ties between sect members in South Korea and Wuhan.
Members of the sect, founded in the 1980s, gather in thousands for prayer services. They sit and kneel close to one another and are forbidden to wear any masks.
Followers hide their membership as they are not a popular sect in South Korea. They also see sickness as a weakness.
South Korea, which has a world-class healthcare system, has had hospitals on standby for weeks. The Centre for Disease Control issues briefings twice a day where experts map the source of infection.
The streets of Daegu, which has a population of 2.5 million, have been largely deserted for days. Scores of events have been cancelled or postponed.
Virus spreads to more countries
Meanwhile, the United States (US) military in South Korea reported its first case of the Covid-19 after a 23-year-old soldier, based in Camp Carroll, about 20 kilometres from Daegu, tested positive.
In the US itself there have been 213 reported cases and 14 deaths.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has advised travellers to avoid all non-essential travel to South Korea.
At least 197 people have died from the virus in Italy, the most outside China, where 4,636 cases have been reported as of March 7.
Iran had reported 124 deaths on March 7. It also reported 4,747 cases of infection, the most outside China. Iraj Harirchi, the country’s deputy health minister, tested positive for the virus after downplaying outbreak concerns.
The majority of cases are linked to Qom, a major religious destination for Shia pilgrims, 120 kilometres south of Tehran. Nearly all neighbouring nations have shut their borders and suspended flights to Iran.
Other Middle Eastern countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Bahrain and Oman reported their first Covid-19 cases on February 24.
As of March 7, 101,492 cases had been confirmed from across 80 countries and territories, with 3,485 deaths, mostly in mainland China. However 56,875 people have recovered.
