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South Koreans Face 'Watershed' Moment as Coronavirus Spreads

William Gallo

   SEOUL - South Korean schools closed, and major events-- including
   concerts and the opening of the top Korean football league-- were
   indefinitely postponed Monday, as the country attempted to limit the
   spread of the coronavirus.

   Warning of a "grave watershed moment," South Korean President Moon
   Jae-in has placed South Korea on the highest alert level. The move
   gives authorities greater latitude to forcibly restrict public
   gatherings and enforce quarantines on those with the virus.

   South Korea reported 231 new infections Monday, bringing the total
   number of confirmed cases to 833. Authorities also reported the seventh
   death from the highly transmissible virus, which causes a disease
   called Covid-19.

   The U.S. military, which has over 28,000 troops in South Korea, also
   raised its risk level to "high" on Monday after reporting its first
   coronavirus case: a 61-year-old woman who visited a store at Camp
   Walker in the southeastern part of the country on February 12 and 15.

   The country saw a spike in coronavirus infections starting last week.
   The outbreak has raised concerns the virus is spreading outside China,
   where it originated, and may turn into a global pandemic.

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