President Moon Jae-in of South Korea has made a declaration of “war” against the coronavirus, as the country’s total cases surpassed 5,000, making it the largest outbreak outside China.
Addressing the alarming rise of the disease in South Korea, President Moon Jae-in apologized for shortages of face masks and pledged support for virus-affected small businesses in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. The country reported 851 new cases and three more deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 5,186 and 28 deaths, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Moon announced that the government will inject over 30 trillion won (US$25 billion) into the economy to tackle the “grave” situation caused by the outbreak, emphasizing that the entire country has mobilized for a battle against the infectious disease, with all government agencies instructed to operate around the clock.
The leader of the South Korean ‘cult’ linked to the spread of coronavirus, Lee Man-hee, issued a plea for forgiveness, acknowledging that many people have been infected after an outbreak at his Shincheonji cult. The secretive church is associated with more than half of South Korea’s 4,000 coronavirus cases, and the number of cases is expected to rise further as 260,000 people associated with Shincheonji are being tested for the virus.