How South Korea ’s Coronavirus Outbreak Got so Quickly out of Control

Buses and subways in Seoul, the normally crowded South Korean capital, were unusually quiet on Monday, and social media was filled with posts with the hashtag “work from home.” South Koreans work some of the longest hours in the world, and companies tend to frown on allowing employees to telecommute. This drastic departure from the conventions of corporate culture are a sign of how the country is scrambling to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The country’s public health authorities have for the past several days reported drastic increases in the number of cases here, with 231 new cases on Monday, bringing the total number to 833, with more than 11,600 people undergoing diagnostic testing. Seven South Koreans infected with the virus, called COVID-19, have died. The country of 51 million people now has the highest number of coronavirus cases outside mainland China. At a briefing Monday afternoon, Jung Eun-kyeong, chief of South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called on South Koreans to limit any outdoor activities and refrain from inter-city travel. She and other South Korean officials are remaining outwardly calm, but there is a growing sense of fear that, with each of the past several days bringing a sharp increase in the number of cases, the outbreak of COVID-19 may be reaching epidemic levels, with the government having missed the opportunity to contain it. While most cases in South Korea are concentrated in the southeas...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 onetime overnight South Korea Source Type: news