`The atmosphere here is so quiet,` Kim said.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in yesterday raised the alert level to red, the highest level, when the number of nCoV infections tripled over the weekend to more than 600. South Korea is currently the country with the highest number of Covid-19 cases.
Body temperature measuring machine at a train station in Daegu city.
People in Daegu, South Korea’s fourth largest city and the epicenter of the epidemic, are running out of options.
More than half of the nCov cases in South Korea are linked to the Shincheonji church branch in Daegu, and more than 100 cases come from the mental health department at Daenam hospital, nearby Cheongdo district and together.
While the exact source of the virus has not yet been determined, health officials said that a 61-year-old female follower of Tan Thien Dia was infected with nCoV and they are searching for all 9,336 members of the Daegu church branch.
Kwang-ho Lee, a taxi driver, wondered why the woman did not take any measures to avoid spreading the virus to the community.
`The epidemic has ruined everything here,` he said.
Outrage is spreading in Korean public opinion because followers of this sect operate secretly and refuse to cooperate with health authorities.
A woman walks past the Tan Thien Dia branch in Daegu city, which was closed because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
A bus driver shared the same outrage as public opinion, when he only carried one passenger.
`If I violate traffic laws, the police will contact me the same day and I will be fined,` he said.
At Dongseung-ro, a familiar gathering place for Daegu youth, the atmosphere is also very quiet and most shops and cafes are closed.
`We saw on the Internet that now is the time to experience this area like Gotham City,` Choi said, referring to the fictional American city appearing in the DC Comics comic book series.
Na said some couples no longer meet each other because no one is sure if the other person belongs to Tan Thien Dia.
Yesterday, one of the few places in Daegu where more than 20 people gathered was the city medical center.
About 30 people are waiting to be tested in a makeshift tent set up outside the hospital’s main building.
On the other side of the city, the building of the Shincheonji church was locked and this area and other parts of Daegu were deserted.
