Over 200,000 members of a church will be tested by South Korean health authorities as the country experiences a surge of new coronavirus cases.
As of the latest tally, there are now 893 new cases, which fueled fears that the coronavirus is developing into a global pandemic.
In a report by Reuters, it said that they will test these church members since 60 percent of the cases in South Korea have been linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
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This is also where the 61-year-old woman was reported as the first case in the country. It is still not known how she contracted the virus.
The leader of the Shincheonji Church has already agreed to provide authorities with the names of all its members in South Korea. It is estimated that there will be 215,000 people.
In a statement, the prime minister’s office said the testing will be done “as soon as possible” once it will receive the information.
The statement also said that the testing of all members would help the government contain the virus and relieve public anxiety.
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Meanwhile, there are now nine recorded deaths from the virus in South Korea.
The latest death was a patient from a hospital in North Gyeongsang Province.
As of Tuesday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there 60 new cases reported today with 16 coming from the southeastern city of Daegu, where the church is located. The other 33 were from nearby North Gyeongsang Province.
