South Korea Says Next Two Weeks Crucial in Its Virus Battle
South Korea Says Next Two Weeks Crucial in Its Virus Battle
(Bloomberg) -- South Korea asked its people to refrain from joining any group activities related to religion, sports and entertainment for next two weeks as health officials warned of a rising fatality rate from the coronavirus after a lull in new cases.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said public behavior in the next 15 days will determine whether South Korea will win its fight against COVID-19. Failure to obey restrictions could lead to a ban in gatherings or legal action, he said in a national address on Saturday.
Chung’s appeal to the public comes hours after South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of a rising fatality rate. After reporting several hundred new cases every day at one point, South Korea seemed to have passed the worse when the number dropped to below 100 a day this week. It later trended higher again.
“We’ve seen sporadic group infections from some churches, care homes for senior citizens and a call center. We’re also seeing a higher risk of imported cases,” Chung said. “Companies are at the crossroads of survival and failure, while self-employed and mom-and-pop stores are suffering indescribably.”
Chung said the government aims to deliver a “visible” accomplishment before the start of April, when schools are scheduled to reopen.
Korea’s CDC separately warned that the COVID-19 will “quickly and quietly” spread into “every corner” of the community going forward.
Speaking at a daily briefing, Kwon Jun-wook, vice head of the CDC, told reporters that the fatality rate, which is already above 1% in South Korea, could rise further given that more senior citizens at care homes are being tested for the virus now, and may succumb to the disease because of pre-existing conditions.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.