AKIPRESS.COM - More on South Korea, where cases are approaching 5,000. President Moon Jae-in said the country had begun a “war” against Covid-19 and placed all government agencies on a 24-hour alert.

He said the country was in a “critical phase” and planned to inject US$25 billion into the virus response.

“The crisis in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province reached its peak and the whole country has entered a war against the infectious disease,” Moon said.

He ordered all of the government’s organisations to shift to a “24-hour emergency situation room system”.

The number of confirmed cases has surged from 31 to more than 4,200 in two weeks, and at least 26 people have been killed by the disease in the country.

In response to the crisis, South Korea has more than 500 coronavirus testing sites, which have screened more than 100,000 people.

When the drive-through opened on February 26, it was the first of its kind in the country and has tested as many as 384 people in one day.