Coronavirus outbreak: South Korea designates third city as 'specialised care zone'

Amid coronavirus outbreak, South Korea reportedly designated the south-east city of Gyeongsan as a third 'specialised care zone' on March 5 as the number of cases continues to rise in the nation. According to international media reports, Gyeongsan consists half of the coronavirus cases as members of the city are linked to the Shincheonji religious group. The South Korean government has reportedly announced 145 new confirmed cases, taking the total to 5,766 in the country. 

The South Korean authorities also designated Daegu and Cheongdo as 'special care zones' two weeks back. Prime Minister Chung-Sye-Kyun reportedly said that it was because these areas were experiencing difficulties due to a sudden increase in confirmed cases. The government reportedly also sent military medical staff in the two 'special care zones' for assistance. 

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South Korea has already reported more than 3,000 deaths, most cases of the COVID-19 outbreak after mainland China. According to reports, the cases are also expected to surge with the ongoing screening of more than 2,60,000 people associated with Shincheonji Church of Jesus. The South Korean President Moon Jae-in also 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 deadly virus.

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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.

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