Lee Jae-myung "Administrative Order to Restrict Gatherings at All Religious Facilities in the Province for 2 Weeks" (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, has issued an administrative order restricting gatherings at all religious facilities in the province starting from the 15th. This follows a sharp increase in COVID-19 confirmed cases centered around religious facilities such as Woori Jeil Church in Yongin City since the 10th.

On the 14th, Governor Lee held an online emergency press conference at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government office and explained, "Recently, COVID-19 confirmed cases have been rapidly increasing nationwide, and confirmed cases in Gyeonggi Province are also surging. From July 27 to August 13, 210 confirmed cases occurred in the province, of which 37%, or 78 cases, were linked to religious facilities, which is a very regrettable situation."

He added, "We have confirmed that most of these infections are recurring due to failure to properly follow quarantine guidelines. In particular, group infections continue to occur due to activities such as providing meals after religious gatherings, group meals, and not wearing masks during choir practice and activities. Therefore, strong measures are inevitable to prevent mass infections."

Accordingly, Governor Lee stated, "Pursuant to Article 49 of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, an administrative order restricting gatherings at all religious facilities in the province will be issued for two weeks starting August 15. It may be extended if necessary."

During this period, the prohibited activities include ▲a complete ban on all face-to-face small group meetings at religious facilities during the day, except for regular worship services, masses, and Buddhist ceremonies ▲refraining from singing hymns and prohibiting speaking activities such as loud prayers during regular worship services, masses, and Buddhist ceremonies ▲prohibition of food provision and group meals ▲installation and use of electronic entry logs ▲symptom checks of entrants and restriction of symptomatic individuals ▲designation of quarantine managers ▲mandatory mask-wearing ▲disinfection of facilities before and after religious events and maintenance of disinfection logs ▲maintaining a 2-meter distance between users within the facility.

He warned, "If these rules are violated, gathering bans will be strengthened, and violators will be strictly dealt with, including fines of up to 3 million won according to Article 80 of the relevant law. For facilities where confirmed cases occur due to violations of the gathering restriction administrative order, all costs related to testing, investigation, and treatment will be claimed without exception."

In conclusion, Governor Lee emphasized, "This measure is not an infringement on religious freedom but an unavoidable action to protect the lives of the residents from infectious diseases."