Officials from the Daegu Nam-gu Health Center are conducting disinfection near the Shincheonji Daegu Church. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The government announced that it has received the full list of approximately 212,000 members from Shincheonji Jesus Church and will begin a comprehensive investigation of COVID-19 starting on the 26th. Testing will be prioritized for high-risk groups among members showing symptoms who are vulnerable to infectious disease damage.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters received the full list of about 212,000 church members from Shincheonji around 10 p.m. the previous day. This list is scheduled to be delivered to local governments nationwide on the morning of the same day under confidentiality. Local governments plan to begin testing high-risk members with underlying conditions or advanced age among those suspected of having COVID-19 symptoms.
The government is reported to have downloaded the full list of Shincheonji members registered online. This list does not include trainees such as prospective members, so efforts will be actively made to encourage those omitted to undergo COVID-19 testing as well.
Earlier, the government also secured the list of about 9,000 members belonging to the Shincheonji Daegu Church, where a cluster infection occurred. These members are being subjected to a full investigation and self-quarantine measures, with testing prioritized for those who reported suspicious symptoms. As of 4 p.m. on the 25th, among the 977 confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea, 501 were linked to the Shincheonji Daegu Church.
Meanwhile, the government had planned to secure the full list of Shincheonji members by the afternoon of the previous day, but negotiations were somewhat delayed after Gyeonggi Province forcibly conducted an epidemiological investigation of Shincheonji affiliated facilities ahead of schedule. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung independently carried out a forced epidemiological investigation of Shincheonji affiliated institutions in Byeolyang-dong, Gwacheon City, starting at 10:30 a.m. the previous day.
A government official stated, "Although there were difficulties such as the suspension of talks with Shincheonji due to Gyeonggi Province's forced epidemiological investigation, after continuous persuasion, we successfully concluded negotiations to secure the list."
In response, a Gyeonggi Province official rebutted, "We cannot agree that the government negotiations were delayed due to Gyeonggi Province's epidemiological investigation. On the contrary, after the investigation ended, when the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters requested cooperation on site, Gyeonggi Province staff had to remain at the site and could not withdraw."
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