SEOUL: South Korea’s central bank is disinfecting banknotes and temporarily removing them from circulation in an effort to control the spread of the coronavirus through the financial system. The Bank of Korea (BOK) said it is also putting currency notes through a high-heat ‘laundering’ process to get rid of any traces of the virus before releasing them for circulation.
Meanwhile, South Korea announced its first rise in new coronavirus cases for five days on Wednesday. The South was the first country to report significant coronavirus numbers outside China, where the disease first emerged, and remains one of the world’s worst-affected countries despite being overtaken by both Italy and Iran in declared cases.
A total of 242 infections were confirmed Tuesday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, taking the South’s total to 7,755. Six more people died, it added, with the toll rising to 60. Scores of events from K-pop concerts to sports matches have been cancelled or postponed over the contagion, with school and kindergarten breaks extended by three weeks nationwide.
Up to 70% of the population is likely to be infected with the coronavirus that is currently spreading around the world, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, adding that since there was currently no cure the focus had to be on slowing its spread. “When the virus is out there, the population has no immunity and no therapy exists, then 60 to 70% of the population will be infected,” she told a news conference in Berlin.–Agencies
