Moon to receive emergency report on virus response

SEOUL, Feb. 21 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in will be briefed Friday on South Korea's response to the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Cheong Wa Dae said, as the number of confirmed cases in the country more than tripled over the past two days.

The virus has begun to spread locally at a rapid pace, putting the quarantine authorities on high alert.

Moon plans to receive the "emergency" report at Cheong Wa Dae with Interior and Safety Minister Chin Young and Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo also in attendance.

Moon's office will later make public the results of the Cheong Wa Dae session that will start at around 9 a.m.

The prime minister announced that the government will designate Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and the nearby town of Cheongdo as "special care zones" as a response to a cluster of coronavirus cases being reported there in recent days.

The nation's efforts against COVID-19 have entered a new phase following the report of its first coronavirus death Thursday and an uptick in the total number of patients to more than 100.

The government is considering whether to raise the state alert level to "serious" from the current "watch."

lcd@yna.co.kr
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