S. Korea raises virus alert level to 'highest' as cases spike

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Sunday it decided to raise its alert level against the COVID-19 virus to "highest" in response to the confirmation of hundreds of additional cases over the weekend.

"The COVID-19 incident has been confronted by a grave watershed," President Moon Jae-in said as he publicly announced the measure. "A few days from now is a very important moment."

He said the government would strengthen the overall response system by raising the alert level by one notch to the highest of "red," speaking at an inter-agency government on responding to the outbreak.

The president said the government and the local authorities should not hesitate to take "unprecedented powerful" measures to contain the viral disease without being limited by "regulations."

lcd@yna.co.kr
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