South Korea Raises Alert Level After Coronavirus Cases Multiply

South Korea raised its coronavirus alert to the " highest level" by recognizing that the situation reached a critical point, as on Sunday the country reported 46 new cases infected with the pathogen, raising the total to 602. 

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The South Korean President has decided to activate the protocol after the number of infections has sky-rocketed in the last five days, especially around the city of Daegu, in the southeastern part of the country.

"The problem of COVID-19 has reached a turning point," South Korean President Moon Jae-in said at the meeting with members of his cabinet to activate the new alert level.

Moon warned that the next few days will be very important and insisted that the strongest measures be taken to contain the infection.

It is the first time in 11 years that the country, known for its strict quarantine measures, increased its alert for a virus at the "serious" level, the highest in the four-level system, since it took the same measure against the virus influenza A subtype H1N1.

The President explained that the health authorities are adopting "special" measures regarding the members of the Shincheonji sect, currently considered the main focus of infection in the country. 

Of the 602 infections recorded in South Korea, more than 300 are linked to this group, after it held a massive religious celebration at its headquarters in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.