South Korea designates regions hit hardest by coronavirus as disaster zones

FILE PHOTO: A couple wearing masks following the rise in confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), walk in Daegu, South Korea, March 14, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea on Sunday reported 76 new coronavirus cases and three deaths, marking the first time in over three weeks that new cases have dropped to double-digits, as President Moon Jae-in declared the hardest hit provinces "special disaster zones".

It is the first time South Korea has declared a region a disaster zone from an infectious disease and under the status the government can subsidise up to 50% of restoration expenses and exempt residents from taxes and utility payments.