Seoul bans rallies in effort to contain COVID-19 spread

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- In an effort to contain an outbreak of COVID-19 that has shown no signs of slowing down over the past week, the Seoul metropolitan government tightened social distancing measures on Thursday, prohibiting rallies of more than 10 people until Aug. 30.

The move comes as South Korea continues to record the highest numbers of cases it has seen since March, with 288 new infections reported Thursday by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After daily local infections had dwindled to single digits earlier this month, South Korea has added more than 1,500 cases over the past week, with most infections concentrated in the greater Seoul area.

The city's ban comes in response to a large anti-government demonstration held in Seoul last weekend that has become a major source of concern for health authorities. The rally was attended by members of the Sarang Jeil Presbyterian Church in northern Seoul, which has emerged as the main cluster in the current outbreak.

"Seoul is a place with the highest concern about the spread of the infection due to its high density and mobile population, so the city has decided to take pre-emptive measures to block the risk of spreading COVID-19," the mayor's office said in a statement.

The government has already tightened social distancing guidelines in the Seoul metropolitan area, moving to Level 2 on its three-tier scale. Indoor gatherings of more than 50 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 100 are prohibited under the rules. On Tuesday, the government also banned in-person church services in the Seoul area until Aug. 30.

"This is now a more serious crisis than ever," said acting Seoul Mayor Seo Jung-hyup in a statement. "If the local infection spreads, the disease management system of the health authorities, which has been operating steadily until now, can collapse and an out of control situation can become a reality."

Clusters of infections have been found across multiple venues, including apartment buildings, offices, schools and restaurants, making it a challenge for tracing and quarantine efforts.

However, the largest clusters have been centered around churches, especially the Sarang Jeil Presbyterian Church in northern Seoul, where 623 members had tested positive as of Wednesday afternoon.

Health authorities have traced secondary infections from the church to 13 additional locations and are investigating some 150 related facilities.

The church, led by the Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon, a right-wing critic of President Moon Jae-in's government, has been accused of impeding the investigation by providing false information on its gatherings and providing inaccurate membership lists to officials.

Some members have been recalcitrant in coming forward to get tested for the coronavirus and South Korean media has reported on congregants spitting at and tussling with quarantine workers.

Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said on Thursday that officials are still trying to track down more than 700 people related to the church.

Kim also addressed a conspiracy theory spreading among some of the church's followers, claiming that the government is creating false-positive results among the Sarang Jeil members.

"Recently, fake news and ungrounded rumors have been spreading fast," Kim said at a briefing. "People are reluctant to get tested and this is raising worries from the government."

He said that diagnostic tests are carried out by private clinics and pointed out that the government cannot manipulate the results.

Rev. Jun, who spoke at the rally on Saturday and claimed that the government has "terrorized" his church with the virus, tested positive for COVID-19, health officials announced on Monday.

The government filed charges earlier this week against Jun for obstructing the investigation and for defying a self-isolation order by participating in the rally.

Vice Health Minister Kim said on Thursday that the government is concerned that the Seoul infections are on the verge of leading to a nationwide outbreak.

"There are increasing sources of unidentified infections and the virus is spreading through other provinces as well," he said. "The situation that unfolds this week will be crucial in determining the fate of our outbreak."

South Korea's total number of confirmed cases rose to 16,346 on Thursday, while deaths increased by one to 307, the KCDC reported.