Koreans Warned to Brace for Drawn-out Epidemic

Published on 2020/03/16 | Source

Soldiers disinfect a facility in Daegu on Sunday. /Yonhap

Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province are expected to see confirmed coronavirus cases surpass 10,000 by early May even as the growth of infections eases, according to experts. But that forecast is based on the premise that no visitors from outside are allowed into the regions.

Ki Mo-ran at the Korean Society for Preventive Medicine said in a recent YouTube clip that the success of quarantine efforts in the southeastern region could lead to new infections falling to fewer than 10 a day and the cumulative number of cases stopping at 10,249 by early May.

As of Sunday, cases there totaled 7,188, so 3,000 more are expected. But Ki said, "That is based on the premise that no visitors enter from overseas or other regions".

"Korea is a tightly knit society with a lot of interaction", Ki said. "There is a chance of the epidemic lingering rather than entirely disappearing, and it won't be over unless the number of new infections around the world eases".