The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Korea has now nearly hit the one-thousand mark.

144 more cases have been confirmed on Tuesday alone in the country, raising the total number of infections to 977 as of 5 pm local time.

South Korea now has reported more Covid-19 cases than any area outside of mainland China, surpassing Japan which diagnosed almost 700 cases on a single quarantined cruise ship.

Meanwhile, the death toll is now at 10 in South Korea after two more patients died from the virus on Tuesday.

The number of coronavirus cases in the country had only been a few dozen a week ago but has soared recently with the outbreak being centered in the southeastern city of Daegu where a “super-spreader” is believed to have transmitted the virus to fellow members of the Shincheonji cult.

More than 500 of the cases are linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Daegu on Tuesday, calling the situation “very grave.”

Residents of the Daegu have told to stay indoors, turning the city of 2.5 million into a ghost town.

현재 대구 동성로 상황 pic.twitter.com/oY8ZKooYIc — 인엔 (@IEofgroup) February 20, 2020

Meanwhile, a number of countries and regions have issued travel bans on foreigners arriving from South Korea, including Israel, Hong Kong, and Jordan.