COVID-19: Major religious events delayed in South Korea

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Two major communities in South Korea on Wednesday delayed their religious events due to the spread of coronavirus.

The United Christian Churches of Korea, which mostly comprises Protestants, said the Easter parade set to take place on April 12 will be postponed for two months, Yonhap news reported.

It will be replaced by an online chapel.

The Southeast Asian country's Buddhist community, meanwhile, also announced deferring Buddha's birthday celebrations.

"The ritual to celebrate Buddha's birthday, scheduled to be held on April 30, will be put off to May 30," the Association of Korea Buddhist told a news conference in the capital Seoul.

"The Lotus Lantern Festival slated for April 25 will also be moved to May 23," it added.

The country registered 93 more COVID-19 cases today, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, taking the national tally to 8,413 with at least 81 deaths.

As part of their efforts to stem the virus, authorities in Seoul have postponed the start of a new school year until early April.

While the citizens have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel, the country is carrying out efficient screening of people suspected of infection, even coming up with "drive-thru" tests for those who want to get samples taken through their car window, according to Kyodo News.

Worldwide, out of over 200,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 8,200, while more than 82,000 patients have recovered, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

The World Health Organization has declared Europe the new epicenter of the virus, after first emerging in Wuhan, China last December.