South Korea has stepped up measures to contain the spread of the deadly new coronavirus, as confirmed infections rose sharply for a second day, reports BBC.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said it was now an emergency situation.
The southern cities of Daegu and Cheongdo have been declared "special care zones". The streets of Daegu are now largely abandoned.
South Korea has also locked down its military after several soldiers tested positive for the coronavirus.
The authorities have also told about 9,000 members of a religious group to self quarantine, after the sect was identified as a coronavirus hotbed.
On Friday, the country reported 52 new confirmed cases after 53 on Thursday. South Korea now has a total of 156 cases making it the largest cluster outside mainland China and the cruise ship docked off Japan.
Authorities confirmed the country's first death from the virus in Cheongdo earlier this week.
The man was a long-term patient at a mental health facility, where alongside him another 14 patients have also tested positive.
The new virus, which originated last year in Hubei province in China, causes a respiratory disease called Covid-19.
