ILOILO City – A huge religious gathering at the La Paz district plaza football pitch tomorrow won’t push through. The city government cancelled the permit it issued to organizers due to concerns over the possible spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The RUN for Jesus 2020 is an outdoor religious convention. RUN stands for “revival and unity”. It is expected to attract between 20,000 to 30,000 participants, some of whom are from South Korea and members of a religious sect that is suspected to be at the heart of the COVID-19 outbreak in that country, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas.
In South Korea, 10 people have now died after contracting the virus, with infections reaching 977 as of yesterday. It has seen by far the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases outside of China where the infections started in December 2019.
The cancellation of the event’s permit, according to Treñas, was recommended by the City Health Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Iloilo Provincial Health Office, City Legal Office, and Department of Health Region 6.
“We are very concerned,” said Treñas.
Global cases of the virus have passed 80,000, the vast majority in China.
One of the guest speakers at the religious convention would have been Sen. Manny Pacquiao who identifies himself as a born-again Christian and a pastor.
Aside from cancelling the RUN for Jesus 2020 permit, Treñas also appealed to Iloilo City-bound South Koreans to voluntarily self-quarantine themselves even if they do not fall under the category of Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) based on the DOH decision tool.
From what he had so far gathered, said Treñas, four South Koreans from Daego City were already here and their whereabouts were being traced.
South Korean authorities have identified the fringe Christian group Shincheonji Church as being at the heart of the COVID-19 outbreak in that country, according to a British Broadcasting Co. (BBC) report. At their services in the south-eastern city of Daegu, members likely infected one another and then fanned out around South Korea, apparently undetected.
Yesterday at around 3:30 p.m. 16 South Koreans from Daego City were expected to arrive – via Incheon City – at the Kalibo International Airport in Kalibo, Aklan.
Treñas said 45 religious pastors from South Korea were also coming over.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director Jose Roberto Nuñez recommended to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of Kalibo that arriving South Koreans be temporarily quarantined in one facility such as the Aklan Training Center.
The main signs of COVID-19 infection are fever and a cough as well as shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
Frequent hand washing with soap or gel, avoiding close contact with people who are ill and not touching the eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands can help cut the risk of infection, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
On Monday, WHO said the world should do more to prepare for a possible pandemic – a situation where an infectious disease spreads easily between people in many countries./PN
