Seoul a ghost town as South Korea grapples with Mers fear

telegraph.co.uk ^ | 8:12PM BST 12 Jun 2015 | Andrew Salmon in Seoul

[BenLurkin]

In a bar in Seoul’s upmarket Gangnam district this week, music was blasting from the speakers and Harry Potter played on a giant flat-screen television; but the electronic darts board and kung fu video game stands were bereft of customers, and all but one of the tables were empty.

The barman had a simple answer for the unusual lack of business: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers).

South Korea on Friday reported three more deaths from Mers, in what has become the largest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia, with more than a dozen deaths in the past few weeks and 126 people in South Korea diagnosed.

Health officials have begun urging people to go about their normal daily activities, saying the rate of new cases was slowing, but in South Korea’s capital, the fear is still palpable.

“The number of newly confirmed cases has fallen sharply and there are little risks of the virus spreading through airborne transmissions or to communities outside hospital settings”, the health ministry said in a statement. “Therefore, we ask the people to conquer their fear and engage in day-to-day business.”

Currently, 3,680 people are under quarantine, down from 3,805. A total of 1,249 people have been released from quarantine, including 294 on Friday.

Nevertheless, all manner of public and private events – from briefings on the forthcoming World Military Games 2015 to a Japan-Korea goodwill noodle banquet – have been cancelled, while 2,400 schools remain closed.

[GeronL]

bump

[lulu16]

Here’s another drama with a pandemic.

“http://www.dramanice.tv/drama/the-end-of-the-world-detail

I hope neither are too gross or gory.

[GeronL]

bump

thank you

[PA Engineer]

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