The South Korean government told its residents and citizens to stay indoors as the fight against the coronavirus outbreak enters a ‘critical moment’.
The biggest jump on infections was recorded on Saturday with 813 new cases, which accounts to a total of 3,150 cases.
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South Korea has the largest number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus outside mainland China. The death toll has reached 17.
“We have asked you to refrain from taking part in public events, including a religious gathering or protest, this weekend,” Vice Health Minister Kim Kang-lip told in a media briefing.
The health official added that they are now at a “critical moment” in reining in the spread of the virus.
“Please stay at home and refrain from going outside and minimize contact with other people,” he said.
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657 of the new cases were from southeastern Daegu city, the site of a church at the center of the outbreak. 79 from the nearby province of North Gyeongsang according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
South Korea has tested over 210,000 members and 65,000 trainees of the church linked to a majority of cases after a 61-year-old woman known as “Patient 31” attended religious services there before testing positive.
