Buddha's Birthday... Daegu City Conducts Special 'Living Quarantine' Inspections at 153 Temples

Temples Expected to Host Over 50 Attendees

On the morning of the 29th, one day before the Buddha's Birthday celebration ceremony, chairs were arranged at 1-meter intervals in the Tongildae Bul courtyard of Donghwasa Temple on Palgongsan Mountain in Daegu.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] On the 30th, Daegu City, in collaboration with district and county offices, will form inspection teams to focus on checking compliance with daily quarantine rules at 153 temples expected to gather more than 50 people in celebration of Buddha's Birthday.

Ahead of the Buddha's Birthday celebration ceremony, Daegu City held a meeting on the 22nd with representatives from various Buddhist orders including Jogyejong, Cheontaejong, Jingakjong, Taegojong, and Gwaneumjong to request voluntary quarantine cooperation during the ceremonies. Recently, Daegu City has repeatedly requested cooperation by sending official letters regarding compliance with daily quarantine guidelines.

As a result of a preliminary full survey of 408 registered temples in the area, Daegu City estimated that 153 temples are expected to have more than 50 attendees at the ceremonies on the 30th. Accordingly, Daegu City will conduct special inspections on the day of the event at 60 temples with more than 100 attendees, while the remaining approximately 93 temples will be inspected by district and county offices.

About 120 public officials from Daegu City and district/county offices will work together with pre-designated quarantine managers at each temple to directly guide and enforce compliance with daily quarantine rules on-site, including temperature checks upon entry, mandatory hand sanitizing and mask-wearing, and preparation of attendee lists.

Park Hee-jun, Director of the Daegu City Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, stated, "Recently, many confirmed cases have occurred at Coupang logistics centers in Goyang and Incheon, and even a slight lapse in vigilance can cause infections to spread like a snowball." He urged, "We ask not only event operators but also devotees and citizens to strictly adhere to daily quarantine rules."