Prime Minister of the country, Chung Sye-kyun who said this on March 23, stated that this is part of the government’s drive for stricter social distancing.
Health authorities expressed that the measures include keeping the distance between followers no less than two meters while attending services, and having their temperature checked.
However, some Churches, including Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, pressed ahead with weekend religious services, without abiding by some of the guidelines.
According to Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, stern government measures, including banning gatherings, should be imposed on Churches that ignoring the virus guidelines.
Chung at a pan-government meeting on coronavirus responses said;
The Churches’ action seriously hurt the safety of not only individuals attending the service but also communities.
Now is an emergency situation that amounts to a quasi-wartime situation. People should not regard the government’s administrative orders as a bluff.
In a public message on social distancing, Chung “strongly” called for religious, indoor sports and entertainment facilities to suspend operations for 15 days on March 21, calling the next two weeks a “critical’’ time.
He also warned that the government would issue an administrative order to ban gatherings if the facilities did not abide by the virus guidelines.
Chung stressed that;
For facilities that do not follow the orders, the government will take legal action, including closures and filing compensation suits.
