[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] On the 16th, 116 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 related to Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, were reported nationwide in one day. The total number of related confirmed cases reached 315. Among them, 58 new cases and a cumulative total of 209 cases were reported in Seoul.
Seoul City has collected specimens from 1,207 church members and visitors so far. Excluding the initial confirmed case, 208 tested positive and 624 tested negative. The rest are still awaiting test results.
Seoul City confirmed the whereabouts of 3,437 out of 4,066 people subject to testing at Sarang Jeil Church, and among them, 1,971 residents of Seoul were guided to undergo COVID testing and self-quarantine. Residents of other regions are being managed by their respective local governments.
The city conducted a full investigation of 669 people whose addresses were missing and successfully contacted 119 of them. For the remaining 550, the city plans to cooperate with the National Police Agency to conduct direct visits to urge testing and self-quarantine.
The city explained that through an on-site visit to Sarang Jeil Church the previous day, it secured the visitor logbook for the period from the 7th to the 13th. It also urged the church to submit additional data for the period from the 1st to the 6th. Since the list of church members was outdated and inaccurate, the city requested supplementary contactable information and received confirmation from the church. The city also notified that compulsory testing would be enforced if testing was not carried out.
According to Seoul City, as of midnight on the 17th, the total number of new confirmed cases in Seoul increased by 90 in 24 hours, reaching 2,077. The 90 new cases in one day is the second highest number ever, following the 146 cases announced the previous day.
Meanwhile, among the 90 new confirmed cases in Seoul, 4 were related to Uri Jeil Church in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and 3 were related to Doesaegim Church in Yangcheon-gu. Combined with 58 cases related to Sarang Jeil Church, church-related cases accounted for 65 cases, representing 72%.
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