South Korea announced Monday 161 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total cases to 763.

Officials also confirmed two more deaths, bringing its death toll to seven.

Before the new cases were reported Monday, the country raised the alert level to red, the highest level, and President Moon Jae-in urged officials to not hesitate to take "unprecedented powerful measures" to contain the outbreak.

"The next few days will be crucial," following a government meeting on the virus. Under the alert level, authorities have the power to close schools and limit public transportation. The start of the new school year has been delayed one week.

China reported 648 new infections Sunday, for a total of 76,936. It said 97 people had died, raising the death toll in the country to 2,442.

Apart from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan, South Korea has the most infections outside of China.

Outside China, more than 1,200 people have been infected with the virus and more than a dozen have died.

Source : VOA