All Shincheongji worshippers in South Korea to be tested for Covid-19, church to disclose full list of members

It is believed that the church has around 215,000 followers.

Tanya Ong | February 25, 2020, 11:10 AM

South Korea has reported 60 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday morning (Feb. 25), according to Yonhap News.

The total number of infections in the country now stands at 893, with eight deaths reported.

There are currently two clusters of infection identified. One is a branch of a religious sect in the southeastern city of Daegu while the other cluster is a hospital in the neighbouring county of Cheongdo.

The church, Shincheongji Church of Jesus, has 12 branches across the country.

An estimated 60 per cent of all infection cases is linked to the Daegu branch. Many of these cases were also found to be linked to Patient 31, who attends church services in Daegu.

All church members to be tested

Yonhap News reported on Tuesday (Feb. 25) that all followers of the Shincheongji church will be tested for Covid-19.

The church has confirmed that it is in "full cooperation" with the government's measures, and has agreed to provide the full list of its members.

About 215,000 people are believed to be Shincheonji followers in the country. Out of this number, over 9,000 members are in Daegu, with most of them being placed in self-quarantine.

This comes following South Korea's announcement on Sunday (Feb. 23) that it would be raising its disease alert level to red, the "highest" level.

Top photo via Shawn Ang/Unsplash