Coronavirus outbreak: Schools in South Korea suspended for another 2 weeks

Authorities in South Korea have decided to extend the suspension of schools for another two weeks. As per reports, the new school year that had already been delayed by a week is now scheduled to start on March 23. The announcement was made by the Office of Education in Daegu which is the heart of the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea.

There are now over 4,000 confirmed cases of the virus in South Korea and the death toll has risen to 26. The majority of cases are in Daegu city and the surrounding province of North Gyeongsang. According to reports, more than half of the cases in South Korea have been linked to the Shincheonji religious group.

Vietnam bans S Korean passengers

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAV), major airports have suspended flights carrying passengers from South Korea. The coronavirus outbreak has severely worsened in South Korea. Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City have suspended receiving flights with passengers from the Republic of Korea (RoK).

The flights carrying passengers from South Korea will instead be diverted to Van Don international airport located in the Quang Ninh province and the Can Tho International airport. Flights that are carrying goods from South Korea will still be allowed to land at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports as scheduled and only passengers from South Korea have been banned.

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Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Vietnam's Major Airports Suspend Flights From South Korea

According to reports, the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport has instructed the authorities to direct airlines to divert flights with passengers from South Korea to Van Don and Can Tho airports. As per reports, all airlines are responsible for notifying their passengers that are travelling from South Korea to Vietnam.

In an effort to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, Vietnam on February 28 reportedly announced that it will suspend issuing visas to South Korean nationals. According to international media reports, the Vietnamese government said that the measure aims to help the nation contain the spread of COVID-19 outbreak and limit the impact of the epidemic on society.  In another announcement, foreign nationals who have previously visited South Korea would be subjected to 14 days mandatory quarantine upon arrival in Vietnam. 

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