South Korea to allocate over $9.9M to fight coronavirus

The South Korean government has decided to allocate 11.7 trillion won ($9.91 billion) to combat the coronavirus epidemic, as well as to support businesses and citizens. The step comes as part of efforts to minimize the negative impact on the economy and maintain momentum for its growth, the country’s Economy and Finance Ministry said in a statement, Report informs via Interfax.

As much as 2.3 trillion won ($1.91 billion) of the total amount will be used to purchase additional medical equipment, beds and to provide more treatment options for patients.

The country’s parliament should approve the proposed measures. MPs will receive a package of proposals on March 5.

The number of coronavirus cases reached 5,328 in South Korea on March 4 morning, having increased by 516 cases during the last 24 hours. Thirty-three patients, most of whom were the elderly, died of the virus. No signs of a slowdown in the spread of infection are yet visible. Currently, South Korea ranks second after China in terms of the number of coronavirus cases.