Gov't preparing to declare virus-stricken Daegu a special disaster zone: PM

Medical staff in protective gear work at a 'drive-thru' testing center for the novel coronavirus disease of COVID-19 in Yeungnam University Medical Center in Daegu, Korea, March 3, 2020. Reuters

The South Korean government is preparing to designate Daegu and nearby North Gyeongsang Province, hard hit by massive coronavirus infections, as "special disaster zones" in a bid to facilitate emergency relief and administrative and financial support, according to Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday.

"Procedures are under way in relation to the declaration" of Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and the province as special diaster zones," he said at an interagency meeting on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic that was held in the city.

Chung said he would soon make a formal suggestion to President Moon Jae-in for the declaration.

Nearly 6,000 coronavirus cases were confirmed in Daegu, a city with 2.4 million residents, as of Thursday, with more than 1,100 patients reported in the province with a population of 2.7 million. (Yonhap)