S Korea reports 594 more coronavirus cases, total 2,931

South Korea confirmed 594 more coronavirus cases on Saturday, biggest increase to date for country and taking national total to 2,931 infections with three ditional deaths.

More than 90 per cent of new cases were in Daegu, centre of country's outbreak, and its neighbouring rth Gyeongsang province, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.

Three women in Daegu area died of illness, taking national toll to 16, statement ded. One of victims was d in her 90s.

national total is expected to rise furr with screening of more than 210,000 members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive entity often accused of being a cult that is linked to around half of country's cases.

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streets of Daegu -- South Korea's fourth-largest city with a population of 2.5 million -- have been largely deserted for days, apart from long queues at few shops with masks for sale.

Authorities have urged public to exercise caution and anyone with a fever or respiratory symptoms to stay home.

But officials say y are t considering a citywide quarantine for city in manner of lockdown imposed on central Chinese city of Wuhan, where virus first emerged.

"Please refrain from holding big outdoor meetings or indoor religious assemblies," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a Saturday meeting in Daegu, where he is leing government's response. 

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