The South Korean government has raised its alert status to the highest level following more new cases of the coronavirus. In a nationally broadcast speech, President Moon Jae-in urged officials to not hesitate to take "unprecedented powerful measures" to contain the outbreak. The country reported 123 new cases on Sunday, raising the total to 556.
Korea now has the second-most number of cases, excluding cruise ships, next to China which reported 648 new infections Sunday. That increases the total number of Chinese infections to 76,936, and the death toll is now 2,442.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has also raised its travel advisory for South Korea and Japan to Level 2 on a four-notch scale. On its website, it recommended that the elderly and those with health issues consider postponing non-essential travel.