Thousands of South Korean schools that were shut by worries over Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) reopened Monday as the country sought to return to normal, nearly four weeks into an outbreak that showed signs of slowing.
Five new cases were reported by the Health Ministry on Monday, taking the total to 150, the largest outbreak outside of Saudi Arabia. The ministry also said another patient infected with the MERS virus had become the 16th fatality.
All the cases have been traced to health care facilities. Four hospitals have been shut down completely or partially closed in an effort to stop the spread of what the World Health Organization (WHO) has said was a "large and complex" outbreak.