Over 2 Lakh Members Of Shincheonji Church Of Jesus To Be Tested By The South Korean Govt For Coronavirus

South Korea has begun testing over 200,000 members of a ‘secretive’ church called the Shincheonji Church of Jesus and has taken “maximum measures” to contain the coronavirus, amid public criticism of its handling of the outbreak, reports The Guardian.

The church is believed to be at the centre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak and local health officials has warned that number could further rise as more than 1,200 church followers are displaying flu-like symptoms. Its founder has agreed to provide authorities with the names of all its members in the country.

The government plans to conduct medical tests on all of the members “as soon as possible,” said a statement from the Prime Minister's office.

“We have constantly requested the list based on our assessment that it is essential to test all of the church members in order to contain the spread of the virus and relieve public anxiety,” the statement said.

On Monday (24 February), Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told reporters that, "If authorities fail to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu, there is a high possibility that COVID-19 could spread nationwide."

South Korea has seen nearly nine hundred cases, the highest outside of China, and 60 new cases on Tuesday (25 February), of which 16 are from the south-eastern city of Daegu which houses the Shincheonji church and has a population of 24 lakh.

According to reports, around 60 per cent of the people infected with coronavirus is linked to the church which many call as a doomsday cult.

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus was founded in 1984 by Lee Man-hee who claims that he is the second coming of Jesus. The church has 12 branches in South Korea and over 2 lakh followers and have also has offices overseas and last year set up a branch in the central Chinese city of Wuhan which is the ground-zero of coronavirus outbreak.

Shincheonji, which means "new heaven and earth" in Korean, has been described as an apocalyptic cultist's Christian group. The followers believe that founder has donned the mantle of Jesus Christ and will take 144,000 people with him to heaven on the day of judgment.

It is now emerged that many of the confirmed cases can be traced back to one person: Patient no. 31, a 61-year-old woman who is a devout follower of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

Now dubbed as "crazy ajumma" (auntie in Korean) for twice refusing to get herself tested for coronavirus despite developing known infection, the devout Church follower is said to have attended church twice despite her condition worsening. The ‘super spreader’ later freely even though she was warded for 10 days in a hospital after a car accident.

According to the Korea Center for Disease Control, Shincheonji’s unorthodox worship practices is said to have contributed to the spread of the virus among its congregation. Members are expected to kneel in tight rows and aren’t allowed to cover their faces with items like glasses or face masks.

A spokesman for Shincheonji, Kim Si-mon, said late Sunday (23 February), that they have closed 1,100 churches nationwide and have told 245,000 of its followers not to venture out for any external activities.

The spread of Coronavirus has also hit sports and the national basketball league has banned spectators until the outbreak was under control. Additionally, the domestic season of football has already been postponed.

Also, American and South Korean militaries may scale back on joint training due to mounting concerns of the outbreak. The troops at bases in Daegu have already been ordered not to leave the barracks.

At present, there are 28,500 US army troops stationed in South Korea and already one soldier based in Camp Carroll, about 20km from Daegu, has been reported to have contracted the coronavirus.

Authorities in South Korea are taking exemplary measures to stop the spread of this virus and on Monday, the National Assembly was shut to be disinfected. Even the National Court Administration recommended courts across the country delay or reschedule trials, except for urgent cases.