Any violators should face zero tolerance
Complying with social distancing rules and anti-infection measures is the key to containing the spread of COVID-19. This is all the more important because South Korea faces a second wave of mass infections.
Yet some members of our society are making ill-conceived efforts to flout the guidelines and proper measures against the highly contagious virus. They should realize that their reckless and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the heath of not only themselves but also others.
Now at the center of mounting criticism is the Sarang Jeil Church and its conservative pastor Jun Kwang-hoon. The church in northern Seoul has emerged as a new epicenter of COVID-19 infections. Over 870 confirmed cases are linked to the church. Its infection cluster stems from a sheer disregard for social distancing guidelines. The church was also found to have failed to follow disinfection rules when it held a mass prayer service last month.
Jun should take the blame for encouraging his church members to attend an anti-government rally in central Seoul on the Aug. 15 National Liberation Day. He gave a speech to the rally without following a self-quarantine order. He also called on churchgoers to refuse to take a test for the virus. Jun, who is under quarantine at a hospital after contracting COVID-19, accused the government of persecuting his church.
The church has also tenaciously impeded the health authorities' efforts to conduct an epidemiological survey on its facilities. Its members have wrongfully claimed that district health centers manipulated the results of virus tests to find all church related persons positive for the coronavirus. A couple even spat in the face of a district official who asked them to take a test.
This irrational behavior only diminishes existing efforts to fight the virus. The church and its pastor cannot shirk their responsibility for the resurgence of the coronavirus. New daily infections have continued to record triple figures since Aug. 14. The present situation appears far more serious than the first wave which was triggered by the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southeastern city of Daegu in February and March.
No religious organization should try to repeat the Shincheonji nightmare. No one is given free rein to propagate the pandemic in the name of religion. Churches and temples are not allowed to hide behind a constitutional right to religious freedom. They ought to carry out their obligation of protecting the health of both congregants and the public.
Anyone can criticize the government for its policy blunders. Frankly speaking, the health authorities have made some mistakes in coping with the unprecedented health crisis. But spreading fake news about COVID-19 is a crime no less grave than the spreading of the virus itself.
President Moon Jae-in has vowed to take stern action against those refusing to comply with social distancing rules which have become stricter from mid-August. Any violators should be subject to zero tolerance. We should endure temporary inconveniences and practice the rules laid out to the public in good faith if we hope to defeat the virus.