South Korea reports 374 new cases of Coronavirus, total cases climbs to 5,186

The South Korean government has reportedly announced 374 new confirmed cases of the Coronavirus, causing the total number of those infected to climb to 5,186 in the country. There is a sudden spike in cases as over 1000 confirmed cases were reported in the past 24 hours, confirmed media reports.

According to the reports, South Korea is the highest impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak after mainland China. A majority of cases detected in South Korea have emerged in Daegu City in the North Gyeongsang province, the epicentre of the virus outbreak in South Korea.

The cases are expected to surge with the ongoing screening of more than 2,60,000 people associated with Shincheonji Church of Jesus. The screening of the Church comes after a 61-year-old female member developed symptoms of the COVID-19 and later travelled to at least four church services across Daegu.

The South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited the Daegu area earlier amid the rapid surge in the Coronavirus cases. He visited Daegu Medical Centre and held a meeting with officials at the Disaster Control and Safety Centre to discuss containment measures to stem the spread of the malignant virus. He told the media that his government initiated a full-scale support system to combat the Wuhan virus, as per the reports.

Read: Scientists Warn Coronavirus Could Become Seasonal Infection Like Flu

Read: South Korean President Declares 'war' Against Deadly Coronavirus

Several countries sealed border with South Korea

Several countries including the Philippines and Hong Kong have scrambled to seal their borders with South Korea as a containment measure to restrict South Korean travellers. According to media reports, John Lee, the security chief for Hong Kong said that Hong Kong has issued a red travel alert, therefore, anyone who resided in South Korea in last fortnight would be denied entry to international finance hub.

The Philippines imposed restrictions on travellers from South Korea and barred Filipinos from touring to the East Asian nations amid the outbreak, confirmed media reports. The partial ban was reportedly placed on South Korea’s North Gyeongsang, one of the most impacted regions from coronavirus.

Read: Manila Announces South Korea Travel Restrictions

Read: Philippines Ban Citizens From Travelling To South Korea Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

(With Agency Inputs)