South Korea reports 315 more coronavirus cases, total count rises to 2,337

South Korea on Friday reported 315 more cases of the deadly coronavirus, taking the total count of infections to 2,337, the Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention said on Friday.

Health authorities have zeroed in on the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, where it has since mushroomed into the largest epidemic of the coronavirus outside China, according to Yonhap news agency.

More than 50 countries have restricted the entry of travellers from South Korea with bans or tougher quarantine procedures over coronavirus concerns.

Twenty-seven countries have also issued entry bans on South Koreans and foreigners who have visited the Asian country in the past few weeks. They include Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jamaica and two others.

A few more European countries began to toughen quarantine procedures for people from South Korea, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Iceland and Croatia.

The coronavirus, officially known as COVID19, has originated last year in Wuhan, the capital of the central Chinese province of Hubei.

China's National Health Commission reported on Friday at least 44 new deaths from the coronavirus infection as of the end of Thursday, bringing to 2,788 the number of fatalities nationwide.