SEOUL • Hundreds of churches across South Korea closed their doors yesterday and held online services as the country reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in more than a week.

South Korea - which has 7,313 confirmed Covid-19 cases, the highest number outside China - added 272 new cases yesterday, far below daily increases of around 500 recently.

Two more people died, bringing the death toll to 50, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

"Despite the smaller rise in Covid-19 cases, we are not at a point where we can say the situation has improved," said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo.

KCDC director Jung Eun-kyeong told reporters that "small cluster infections can emerge at any time in closed spaces like group facilities or religious events" .

Yoido Full Gospel Church - the largest Protestant church in South Korea, with around 560,000 registered members - was among hundreds of churches that held online services yesterday.

"Although it is the rule to come to church for service, this is an emergency situation," said church elder Kim Doo-young.

"Even though they are attending the service from home, we have asked members to dress and worship in the same manner as they would at church," he told Agence France-Presse.

Most of the country's infections are linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious sect often condemned as a cult. One of its members attended at least four services before being diagnosed.

Scores of events - from K-pop concerts to sports matches - have been cancelled or postponed over the contagion, with school and kindergarten breaks extended by three weeks nationwide.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE