South Korea says MERS outbreak over

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea said today it is now virtually free of the deadly MERS virus that killed 36 people and sickened nearly 200 since an outbreak was declared in May.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn in a government meeting urged people to return to normal as the country hasn’t seen a new MERS case in more than three weeks. More than 16,000 people had been isolated at hospitals and homes as the government attempted to stymie the disease.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome was discovered in 2012 and the cases had been mostly centered in Saudi Arabia before the outbreak in South Korea.