A boy wearing a face mask plays football on Wednesday at a primary school which has been closed in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
(Photo: Xinhua)

(VOVworld)- South Korea has had to shut more than 800 schools as of Thursday due to the spreading Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

According to the South Korean Ministry of Education, of the number of schools, 309 were kindergartens. About 70% of the schools are in the Gyeonggi province, where the first case of MERS infection was reported. 
Meanwhile, 39 schools in the capital Seoul were also shut due to the epidemic.On Thursday, the South Korean Ministry of Health also confirmed 5 more cases of MERS, bringing the total number of infections in South Korea to 35.

South Korea currently has the world’s third largest number of MERS cases reported, followed by the Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to the latest statistics released by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1,600 people have been found to be positive for MERS, including nearly 440 deaths.