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Two major hospitals in South Korea's capital have suspended services to patients in a bid to stop the spread of Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) after four new cases of the virus were reported.
Samsung Medical Center, where nearly 90 patients, visitors and medical staff have contracted the virus, declared a 10-day suspension of most services on June 14 to stem the spread of the virus.
But as the number of new infections has continued to grow, authorities have decided to extend the partial shutdown "indefinitely", AFP news agency has reported.
The outbreak at the hospital, which belongs to South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung group, prompted the group's chief Jay Y Lee to publicly apologise for "causing great pain and concern" on Tuesday.
Another major Seoul hospital, Konkuk University Medical Center, on Wednesday also stopped admitting new patients and performing surgery after four cases were reported in recent days.
South Korean health workers had protested last week against the Samsung hospital's inability to control the spread of the virus.
Samsung Medical Center, where nearly 90 patients, visitors and medical staff have contracted the virus, declared a 10-day suspension of most services on June 14 to stem the spread of the virus.
But as the number of new infections has continued to grow, authorities have decided to extend the partial shutdown "indefinitely", AFP news agency has reported.
The outbreak at the hospital, which belongs to South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung group, prompted the group's chief Jay Y Lee to publicly apologise for "causing great pain and concern" on Tuesday.
Another major Seoul hospital, Konkuk University Medical Center, on Wednesday also stopped admitting new patients and performing surgery after four cases were reported in recent days.
South Korean health workers had protested last week against the Samsung hospital's inability to control the spread of the virus.
