Suwon Mayor Yom Tae-young: "16 Believers and Family Members from Lifesource Church Remain Unreachable"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] As confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to increase through Lifesource Church in Suwon (Mangpo 2-dong, Yeongtong-gu), Mayor Yom Tae-young announced on the 4th that "16 church believers and their family members remain unreachable."

Mayor Yom held an emergency press briefing at Suwon City Hall on that day to explain the current COVID-19 infection situation in Suwon and the outbreak of cluster infections at religious facilities.

As of the 4th, there are 16 confirmed cases in Suwon, and 13 are receiving treatment. The city is managing a total of 525 suspected patients, symptomatic individuals, self-quarantined persons, and those under active surveillance, while 2,834 individuals have been released from management.

As of the 4th, seven confirmed cases have emerged from Lifesource Church. Previously, the city announced on the 3rd that it would conduct a full investigation of church officials, believers, and their families, and on the same day, Lifesource Church closed its doors until the situation stabilizes.

Wearing a cloth mask made by Suwon volunteers, Mayor Yom explained the transmission route of the Lifesource Church cluster infection at the briefing.

A confirmed patient who attended a service at Shincheonji Church in Daegu attended a Shincheonji service held in Gwacheon on the 16th of last month. The Anyang case No. 2 infected at that time gave a lecture at a company in Hwaseong on the 23rd of last month, and the virus spread to Hwaseong case No. 2, Suwon case No. 7, and case No. 9. Subsequently, from the 23rd to the 26th of last month, six believers of the same church were infected through Hwaseong case No. 2 at Lifesource Church services.

Mayor Yom stated, "A total of 199 officials and believers participated in services held at Lifesource Church from the 23rd to the 26th, and excluding duplicates, there are 123 people in total. Currently, we are conducting a full investigation of Lifesource Church officials and believers. For symptomatic individuals confirmed through one-on-one counseling, we are conducting specimen collection and self-quarantine," he explained.

He continued, "There are a total of 16 believers and family members who remain unreachable," urging them to "please contact Suwon health centers without fail." He also confirmed that the church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of Korea, not Shincheonji Church.

Regarding concerns about large-scale cluster infections similar to those in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, Mayor Yom stated, "In the event of any large-scale surge in confirmed cases, we will shift to treatment focused on severe patients and transfer mild-case infected individuals to self-quarantine facilities. The city is already operating a separate self-quarantine facility at Suwon Youth Hostel," he said.

Meanwhile, he earnestly appealed to all religious leaders in the city: "Please prohibit religious gatherings such as services, masses, and Buddhist chanting services."