A market in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is closed on Feb. 23, 2020,
to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
Although health authorities voiced hope that the virus can be contained, experts
said the virus may have spread more widely nationwide as cases with no clear links
to China or confirmed cases continued to be discovered in Seoul and other regions.

The rapid rise of virus cases bodes ill for the Korean economy. Earlier in the day,
President Moon Jae-in called for officials to start reviewing whether an extra
budget is needed to cushion the impact of the virus on Asia's fourth-largest economy.

"The government should make special prescriptions for extraordinary economic
situations," Moon emphasized, urging the government to make decisions and take
special measures in a swift and aggressive manner with "no restriction on
policy-related imagination."

Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kim Gang-lip told reporters, "If authorities fail
to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu, there is a high possibility that
COVID-19 could spread nationwide."
厚生副大臣のKim Gang-lipは「大邱でCOVID-19の封じ込めに失敗すればCOVID-19が全国に感染
する可能性が高くなる」という

To beef up the first line of defense, authorities will swiftly find patients with
mild symptoms and isolate them, Kim said.
Health authorities will check about 28,000 people in Daegu who show flu symptoms over
the past two weeks, officials said.
"This is a stage where nationwide spread is very worrisome when local transmission
(in Daegu) expands," Kim told reporters.
当局は大邱の28000人の風邪のような症状のある人のチェックを進める