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Coronavirus pandemic
This Week in AsiaHealth & Environment

Coronavirus: saltwater spray infects 46 church-goers in South Korea

  • The church in Gyeonggi Province sprayed salt water into the mouths of its followers out of a belief it would kill the virus
  • The new cases have fuelled the South Korean government’s efforts to clamp down on possible clusters, as cases rise to 8,236

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A photo provided by the Gyeonggi Province spokesman’s office shows an official spraying salt water into the mouth of a believer. Photo: Handout
Park Chan-kyong
A church in South Korea sprayed salt water inside the mouths of followers out of a false belief it would help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but by using the same spray bottle without disinfecting the nozzle, it resulted in 46 church-goers infected, authorities said on Monday.

Video images from the River of Grace Community Church in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul, show a church official sticking the nozzle of a spray bottle deep into the mouth of one follower after another, during a prayer gathering attended by some 100 followers on March 1 and March 8. Those infected include the pastor and his wife.

“It’s been confirmed that they put the nozzle of the spray bottle inside the mouth of a follower who was later confirmed as a patient, before they did likewise for other followers as well, without disinfecting the sprayer,” said Lee Hee-young, head of Gyeonggi Province’s coronavirus task force.

“This made it inevitable for the virus to spread,” he said. “They did so out of the false belief that salt water kills the virus.”

The church was consequently closed and all its believers who attended the prayer sessions are being tested.

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