Mayor of Daegu, South Korea Says City Facing Unprecedented Crisis Over Coronavirus
Posted on February 20, 2020
The mayor of Daegu, South Korea says the city is in an "unprecedented crisis" after dozens of new coronavirus (Covid-19) cases were reported. Daegu has a population of 2.5 million. The city has shutdown kindergartens and public libraries. The mayor has also asked people to stay indoors.
The Guardian is reporting that shopping malls and movie theaters are empty in Daegu. A major BTS concert set for March 8th was postponed.
BREAKING: Mayor of South Korean city of Daegu urges its 2.5 million people to refrain from going outside as its virus cases spike.
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 20, 2020
There are a total of 87 coronavirus cases in South Korea but most of them have been reported in recent days. As The Telegraph reports at least 40 of these cases were caused by a super-spreader at a church service. Many of the contacts from these cases have been isolated but with cases spiking Daegu's mayor and health officials are likely concerned there could be unknown contacts and/or infected persons elsewhere in the city. Reducing crowds and public gatherings can help limit the numbers of cases.
A super-spreader patient was also responsible for spreading MERS - another type of coronavirus - in South Korea in 2015.
These latest cases along with recent cases in Japan and aboard the Diamond Princess ship are evidence (outside of China) that the Covid-19 coronavirus is capable of spreading quickly.
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