Seoul (AFP)

Devotees of a Christian sect in Daegu, the fourth city in South Korea, have been invited by the mayor to undergo a test for Covid-19 symptoms when two-thirds of the new cases are linked to this Church.

Among the 123 new cases reported by the authorities, 75 are related to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the city of Daegu, the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Sunday.

Daegu mayor Kwon Young-jin reported on Sunday more than 90 new cases in his city where a total of 247 residents are now carriers of the new coronavirus in this town of 2.5 million residents.

He called on all members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus with symptoms of the virus to come forward for testing.

"Hiding is not the solution. If you hide, it could harm your health and the health of your family, and it will not help put an end to the problem," Kwon said in a statement. a press conference.

The number of coronavirus patients in South Korea increased Sunday by 123 cases, for a total of 556, and two new deaths, bringing to four the number of people who died from Covid-19 in the country.

South Korea has the second largest number of patients on its soil, after China, where the epidemic started - with the exception of the focus of infection of the Diamond Princess liner in Japan.

- "Increased caution" -

One of the people whose death was announced on Sunday died in Cheongdo hospital (south-east), the second source of contamination, where around a hundred people were infected via patients or staff members of this establishment .

In addition, hundreds of followers of the Christian sect are now infected. The contagion was caused by a 61-year-old woman who had a fever on February 10 and attended at least four religious services in Daegu before being diagnosed with coronavirus.

Daegu, the fourth largest city in South Korea, the birthplace of Lee Man-hee, founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and Cheongdo are some 40 km apart.

These two cities were declared Friday "special administration zones" by the South Korean authorities.

The mayor of Daegu invited residents to stay at home.

On Saturday, the US State Department raised its level of recommendations for travelers going to South Korea, like a handful of other nations which have increased their level of vigilance with this country since this recent surge in the number of contaminations.

US citizens are called upon to "exercise increased caution" when traveling to South Korea.

At the same time, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has invited "the elderly and those with chronic illnesses to consider postponing unnecessary travel".

Britain has advised its nationals "not to go to Daegu and Cheongdo, except for essential reasons".

Israel, meanwhile, refused to allow non-Israelis to disembark from a plane that left South Korea on Saturday.

© 2020 AFP