UGH: ‘The City Has Been Annihilated’: South Korea’s Coronavirus Epicenter Is a Virtual Ghost Town. “The country’s cases rise 25-fold in five days, as Seoul declares a ‘red alert,’ allowing it to block domestic travel among other measures.”

Since the start of the local outbreak traced back to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, this southeastern city of 2.4 million people has ground to a halt. The mayor has told people to stay indoors and avoid large gatherings. U.S. soldiers stationed in Daegu aren’t allowed to visit off-base establishments. South Korea’s military base is on a virtual lockdown.

Shincheonji’s eight-story church building remained closed after services were canceled there, as well as at more than 70 other locations across the country. Yellow-vested city officials sprayed disinfectant on the exterior of the church building. Shincheonji—which means “new heaven and earth” in Korean—on Sunday said it had shut its facilities and is doing everything in its power to reach its members.

Also: “The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for South Korea—placing it at the second of four levels—and warned travelers to ‘exercise increased caution’.”