South Korea declares coronavirus-hit provinces as 'special disaster zones'

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on March 15 declared coronavirus-hit parts of the country as 'special disasters zones'. According to reports, Moon Jae-in approved Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun's proposal to declare southeastern parts of the country as 'special disasters zones' in order to provide special benefits to the residents. As per reports, citizens of Daegu city and some areas in the Gyeongsang province will be eligible for emergency relief, tax benefits, and other state-sponsored financial support.

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Media reports suggest that this is the first time South Korea has declared any area as a special disaster zone due to an infectious disease. In the past, the country had declared 'special disaster zones' for areas hit by floods, typhoons or other natural disasters. Experts believe that South Korea has successfully contained the number of deaths by executed timely measures to tackle the virus compared to other countries with a similar tally of cases but with more fatalities. South Korea set-up screening centres at gas stations and implemented innovative ideas like using apps and satellite to inform people about the precautions they could take to prevent the spread of the virus. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

As per reports, there are 7,253 active coronavirus cases in South Korea, of which 59 patients are under critical condition. At least 75 patients have died in the country since December 2019, of which three deaths came in the last 24 hours. So far, South Korea has recorded 8,162 cases of coronavirus in the country and has successfully treated 834 of them.

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The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has claimed more than 5,800 lives across the world and has infected over 1,56,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China is the most affected country in the world as experts believe that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. Italy and Iran are the other countries that are most affected by the virus outbreak. 

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