Published 18:32 IST, February 14th 2020
Singapore mega-church takes services online after Coronavirus cases soar
A Singapore mega-church has decided to stop holding its conventional services this weekend due to a sharp spike of deadly Coronavirus cases in island nation.
A Singapore mega-church has decided to stop holding its conventional services this weekend due to a sharp spike of deadly Coronavirus cases in the island nation, as per reports. The church, with a congregation of 16,000 has decided to broadcast its gospel-style preaching online.
City Harvest Church, one of the most profitable churches in southeast Asia has decided to take this step after Singapore reported its biggest jump in coronavirus cases on February 13, with many clusters linked to church gatherings.
Several groups cancelled activities
Reverend Ho Yeow Sun said in a Facebook video speaking about the disease that it is the wisest and most responsible thing that they can do for their church in view of the soaring number of coronavirus cases in the past week. He said that it is a temporary measure and they are looking forward for the day when the situation becomes normal and they all can come together for service again.
Several religious groups have cancelled their activities in the island-nation ahead of the jump in the numbers of Coronavirus cases while the government has advised businesses to defer or cancel all non-essential, large-scale events.
China confirms 5000 new cases
China has confirmed more than 5000 new cases of deadly coronavirus outbreak on February 14, according to the reports. China’s National Health Commission said it had recorded 121 new deaths and 5,090 new coronavirus cases on the mainland on February 13, taking the total infected tally to 64,434 people.
Nearly 55,748 people are presently undergoing treatment at various hospitals across the country and 1383 people have died from the novel Coronavirus outbreak that has emerged in Hubei province’s capital, Wuhan, in January.
The hard-hit Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, has reported 116 new fatalities and reported 4,823 new confirmed cases on Thursday, the provincial health commission said. The latest report brought the total confirmed cases in Hubei province to 51,986, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The World Health Organisation on Thursday said a sharp rise of 254 cases of COVID-19 (official name for coronavirus) cases in China, due to a change in counting methods, did not represent a big shift in the epidemic.
Updated 18:32 IST, February 14th 2020