Large churches in South Korea open with restrictions

Some large churches in South Korea, one of the countries credited with best controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus, reopened Sunday with social-distancing restrictions.

The churches required worshippers to maintain a distance of six feet and wear masks, and one of Seoul’s largest houses of worship, Onnuri Church, required all attendees to sign up online and sit in assigned seats, Reuters reported.

The church is also limiting attendance to 700 worshippers, less than a quarter of its 3,000-person capacity, according to the news service.

South Korea, the first nation outside of China to see a major outbreak, announced last week it would extend social-distancing measures through May 5 while relaxing some restrictions for religious and athletic events. South Korean churches have held online or drive-in services in the interim.

 “I hope this [church] can be an exemplary case for others,” Han Jin-gun, a 34-year-old worshiper at Onnuri told the Reuters.

Dense indoor spaces such as clubs, churches and bars are considered higher-risk spots for infection, Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a briefing Sunday, Reuters noted.

About half the infections in the country have been linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. The first church member diagnosed with the virus, who became  the 31^st recorded case in South Korea overall, was discharged from the hospital Friday.

Last Sunday, South Korea, which responded to its outbreak with an aggressive testing and contact-tracing regimen, reported eight new cases, the first day of single-digit increases since Feb. 18. Seoul officials plan on reassessing risk every two weeks as officials consider relaxing restrictions.

“It is safest to maintain the intensive social distancing, but it isn’t easy realistically. We need to find a middle ground,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a televised meeting of government officials last weekend.