Advertisement
Coronavirus South Korea
AsiaEast Asia

Coronavirus: South Korea cases jump to 204 as Daegu church infections spike

  • Daegu, the city at the centre of the country’s outbreak, has been declared a ‘special management zone’
  • The country also confirmed three cases from its 600,000-member military and has restricted access to a major US base

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Workers spray disinfectant at a public bus terminal in Seoul. Photo: Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
South Korea on Friday confirmed 100 more cases of the novel coronavirus as the number of infections linked to a religious sect in Daegu spiked.
Advertisement
Of the new cases confirmed on Friday, 85 were linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southern city of Daegu, the Korean Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. The new cases take the country’s overall number of infections 204, making it the worst-infected country outside China. South Korea also confirmed a second casualty.

The Shincheonji cluster started with a 61-year-old woman who developed a fever on February 10 but attended at least four church services before being diagnosed.

The mayor of Daegu – South Korea’s fourth-biggest city, with a population of over 2.5 million – has advised residents to stay indoors, while access to a major US base in the area has been restricted.

The spike, especially in and around Daegu city, has raised fears the outbreak is getting out of control in the country.

And the first three cases were confirmed in South Korea’s 600,000-member military, a navy sailor, an army officer and an air force officer who all had links to Daegu.

Advertisement

Residents wore masks to go about their daily activities on Friday, but the streets remained active.

Outside the Shincheonji church in the city, Seo Dong-min, 24, said: “With so many confirmed cases here I’m worried that Daegu will become the second Wuhan,” referring to the Chinese city where the virus first emerged.

Advertisement