The growth of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea appears to be slowing at last, but the same cannot be said for the outbreak's adverse effects.
According to Reuters, the country's health ministry confirmed 14 new cases as of Thursday morning as well as the 10th fatality from the virus. Thousands are cancelling plans to visit South Korea as an already struggling economy is taking another hit.
South Korea is also facing a public relations dilemma, as some of its citizens have broken either mandatory or suggested quarantine and left the country. For example, Hong Kong has been monitoring visitors since a South Korean decided to travel there after the outbreak, Reuters reported.
The country's government also took heat for how quickly the outbreak grew since the first patient, a 68-year-old man, brought MERS home from the Middle East. All the country's cases are believed to have come from him and were also transferred in healthcare facilities, Reuters reported. The outbreak is the world's biggest outside Saudi Arabia, where MERS originated.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye also cancelled on Wednesday a scheduled meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, citing his citizens' safety. The White House said in a statement they understood, but the Washington Post noted Park's decision has not been well met publicly.
Critics of Park's decision to stay home point to her recent statements urging citizens not to "overreact." The country's reaction is currently hurting the economy, as people seem hesitant to leave their homes, the Post noted. More than 2,500 schools have also closed indefinitely since the outbreak to protect against more infections.
"The government asks that people do not hold exaggerated fears or concerns over MERS," acting prime minister Choi Kyung-hwan said in a statement, "and that they do not act based on such groundless fears, such as reducing their spending or avoiding visits to areas that have reported confirmed cases of MERS."
