Beijing (AFP)

The appearance of new cases of coronavirus contamination in South Korea, Iran, as well as in Chinese hospitals and prisons, rekindles concerns on Friday about the spread of an epidemic which has already killed more than 2,200 people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is now calling on the international community to "strike hard" without delay against this virus which has infected more than 75,000 people in China and 1,100 elsewhere in the world.

Because if the number of new daily cases in China had dropped for four consecutive days, it started to rise again (at least 889 against 673 the day before), the National Commission (Ministry) of Health announced on Friday.

Another cause for concern: dozens of infections have been reported in two hospitals in Beijing, and more than 400 in prisons across the country, including at least 200 in a single prison.

China has however de facto quarantined tens of millions of people in Hubei province (center) and in its capital Wuhan - epicenter of the epidemic -, and many Chinese remain confined to their homes due containment measures elsewhere in the country.

Without these restrictions preventing the emergence of new cases outside mainland China (except Hong Kong and Macao), with 11 deaths so far.

- Christian sect -

South Korean authorities announced on Friday 52 new cases of Covid-19 disease, bringing the national total to 156.

Of those, more than 80 are followers of the "Shincheonji Church of Jesus", a Christian sect located in the city of Daegu (southeast), said the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

A 61-year-old woman, who was unaware that she had contracted viral pneumonia, reportedly transmitted the virus to them, including by attending church services.

The mayor of Daegu (2.5 million inhabitants) invited the population to stay at home. Many of the city's residents wore a mask on the streets on Friday to protect themselves from potential contamination.

On Thursday, Iran confirmed three new cases, the day after the announcement of the death of two elderly men in the city of Qom (150 km south of Tehran).

Concerned neighboring Iraq now prohibits Iranians from entering its territory and its nationals from entering the Islamic Republic.

- 'Very dangerous' -

In Japan, the controversy swelled Friday around the cruise ship Diamond Princess, placed in quarantine in the suburbs of Tokyo since early February and which remains the most important center of contagion outside of China.

Two Australian ex-passengers, initially tested negative during a screening by the Japanese health authorities when they got off the ship, have just been declared contaminated on their return to Australia.

However, this week, hundreds of cruise lines were allowed to leave the liner after being tested negative at Covid-19. Many have returned to their countries to be quarantined again.

The contamination of these Australians raises questions about the procedures of the Japanese authorities on board the Diamond Princess, still docked in Yokohama (east).

Japan had already announced Thursday the death of two ex-passengers, octogenarians carrying the new coronavirus who had been hospitalized.

The resurgence of new cases prompted the director of WHO to launch a call for mobilization on Thursday.

"Now is the time to attack the virus while it is still manageable," argued Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "If we don't hit hard now by taking advantage of this shooting window, we could be facing a serious problem."

"This virus is very dangerous. It is the number one public enemy and it is not treated as such" at present, he expressed alarm.

- Prisons affected -

Mainland China announced on Friday 118 additional deaths in the past 24 hours, a stable increase from the previous day, bringing the national death toll to 2,236.

Faced with the risk of contamination, States continue to evacuate their nationals.

A third plane chartered by France took off on Friday morning from Wuhan with 28 Frenchmen and 36 citizens from other European Union (EU) countries on board, AFP learned from a diplomatic source. French nationals will be placed in quarantine in a holiday center in Normandy.

In Beijing, where the situation seemed to be under control, the authorities reported on Friday 36 people tested positive at Fuxing Hospital: they are staff members, patients and their families.

At the Peking University People's Hospital, a hospitalized person was infected by two relatives who came to visit him.

Above all, prisons are affected: local authorities have reported 200 detainees and seven guards infected in Jining in Shandong province (east), and 34 cases in an establishment in Zhejiang (east).

In Hubei, the hotbed of the epidemic, 271 contaminations were recorded in prison centers, said provincial officials.

Many Chinese have returned to work this week. But the country is still idling: many people stay at home, while most shops, restaurants and schools remain closed.

© 2020 AFP