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| Few worshippers attended Sunday services at the Yeouido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, choosing instead to follow online from home (AFP Photo/Ed JONES) |
Seoul (AFP)
- Hundreds of churches across South Korea closed their doors Sunday and held
online services as the country reported its lowest number of new coronavirus
cases in more than a week.
South Korea
-- which has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases outside China with
7,313 -- added 272 new cases Sunday, far below daily increases of around 500
recently.
Two more
people died, bringing the death toll to 50, according to the Korea Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
"Despite
the smaller rise in COVID-19 cases, we are not at a point where we can say the
situation has improved," said health minister Park Neung-hoo.
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Medics
wearing protective gear carry a patient infected with the COVID-19 virus
to
hospital in Seoul (AFP Photo)
|
"Small
cluster infections can emerge at any time in closed spaces like group
facilities or religious events," KCDC director Jung Eun-kyeong told
reporters.
Yoido Full
Gospel Church -- the largest Protestant Church in South Korea with around
560,000 registered members -- was among hundreds of churches that held online
services on Sunday.
"Although
it is the rule to come to church for service, this is an emergency
situation," said elder Kim Doo-young.
"Even
though they are attending the service from home, we have asked members to dress
and worship in the same manner as they would at Church," Kim told AFP.
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A church
service is live-streamed by phone in Seoul (AFP Photo/Ed JONES)
|
Most of the
country's infections are linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious
sect often condemned as a cult.
One of its
members attended at least four services before being diagnosed.
Scores of
events -- from K-pop concerts to sports matches -- have been cancelled or
postponed over the contagion, with school and kindergarten breaks extended by
three weeks nationwide.
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