The novel coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, and causes the disease COVID-19, is spreading fear throughout Korea and the world.

As of Feb. 23, the number of confirmed cases worldwide reached almost 80,000 people and the overall death toll exceeded 2,400, the vast majority of them in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.The coronavirus has spread to more countries and the number of reported cases and deaths outside of China keeps going up. Global concern has shifted toward Korea, which reported the largest number of confirmed infections after China as of Feb. 23.

Spike in Confirmed Cases

KAs of Feb. 23, the number of infections in Korea spiked to more than 600, with the sixth death from the virus reported. Despite the nation¡¯s all-out quarantine efforts since the first confirmed cases were reported at home, the number of both cases and deaths nearly doubled on a daily basis, creating a state of panic.

The epicenter of the outbreak in Korea, Daegu, is the nation¡¯s fourth most populous city, as many cases were reported among members of a religious organization and patients from a neighboring hospital. This led to the city being turned into a ghost town, leaving the streets empty and businesses closed.

To contain the outbreak, the government on Feb. 21 designated as ¡°special care zones¡± the city and its surrounding area of Cheongdogun County, yeongsangbuk-do Province, where the first death from the coronavirus was confirmed. The government through this declaration vowed strong and swift measures to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 under an ¡°emergency¡± situation.

President Moon Jae-in on Feb. 23 told an emergency meeting of his high-ranking aides, ¡°The coming few days will be a critical time for us.¡±

The Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention¡¯s sign in English offers tips on how to prevent getting infected with the novel coronavirus. © Korean Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Drastic Measures

The presidential chief of staff put the nation on the highest alert, Level 4 or ¡°serious,¡± under the government¡¯s four-tier system, a move that enabled public authorities to lock down cities and take other drastic measures to contain the outbreak. This was Korea¡¯s highest virus alert level in 11 years.

¡°We shouldn¡¯t be bound by regulations or hesitate to take unprecedented, powerful measures,¡± the president said.

Among the measures was the decision to postpone the first day of the new school year at kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools across the country by a week for the safety of students and faculty. The school year¡¯s official starting date is thus March 9, not March 2.

The economic impact of the outbreak was also significant. With retail stores, restaurants and other businesses devoid of shoppers or shutting down, the fallout spilled over to many parts of the country.

To support struggling businesses especially smaller ones, measures were being considered to help small business owners with assistance such as a supplementary emergency budget to ease the rent burden of such entrepreneurs and bailing out industries and people across the nation.

Despite the possibility that the coronavirus could wreak further havoc on the country, the World Health Organization said the rise in the number of infections in Korea was ¡°manageable.¡± WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently told a media briefing at his organization¡¯s headquarters in Geneva, ¡°With measures they can take, which is proportionate to the public health risk they have, I think the number of cases is really manageable.¡±

President Moon also urged his people to abandon excessive fears over infection and instead cooperate with the government in the fight against the unprecedented pandemic.

¡°Although the situation is grave, we can overcome it,¡± he said. ¡°The government has adequate ability and confidence to control and manage the spread of the infectious disease. Trust and cooperation are the way to win the fight.¡±