South Korean authorities have asked thousands of members of a Protestant church linked to a coronavirus cluster in Seoul to quarantine following its report of 197 new infections cases today, taking its total to 15,515, which is its fourth day of triple-digit increases after several weeks with numbers generally in the 30s and 40s.

The South Korean authorities, who gave the order today, accused the group’s firebrand conservative leader who has reportedly tested positive of obstruction.

However, the country’s “trace, test and treat” approach which has been held up as a global model in how to curb the virus seems to be battling several clusters linked to religious groups.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that over the weekend the capital and neighbouring Gyeonggi province barred all religious gatherings and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel after an outbreak of new cases ignited fears of a major second wave.