South Korea's Health and Welfare Ministry said Saturday that it has confirmed another 174 coronavirus infection cases, taking the nation's tally to over 6,700.
Of the 6,767 people infected, 5,084 cases were traced to the southeastern city of Daegu, while cases from the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province topped 1,000 as of Saturday, according to the health authorities.
(South Korean soldiers, in protective gear, disinfect the Eunpyeong district against the coronavirus on March 04, 2020 in Seoul.)[Getty/Kyodo]
Most of the cases from Daegu, a city of 2.5 million, were linked to a minor Christian sect known as the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
City officials said Saturday that a so-called "cohort quarantine" had been imposed in Daegu, according to local media, the first such instance in the country.
A total of 46 infected residents of an apartment block were put into group isolation, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Residents of the block, which houses some 141 people in more than 130 apartments, were banned from leaving or receiving visitors or deliveries.
The death toll in South Korea has risen to 44, up two from Friday. 118 patients have so far been released after making a full recovery.
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