COVID-19: Defying quarantine no option for South Koreans as country to distribute 'tracking wristbands'

South Korean officials said stricter controls are required because some of the 57,000 people who are under orders to stay home have slipped out by leaving behind smartphones with tracking apps.

In this March 1, 2020 file photo, medical staff wearing protective suits take samples from a person with suspected symptoms of the new coronavirus at a drive-thru virus test facility in Goyang, South Korea. (Photo | AP)

SEOUL: South Korea announced plans Saturday to strap tracking wristbands on people who defy quarantine orders and Christians were urged to stay home on Easter weekend as the global coronavirus death toll passed 100,000.

South Korean officials said stricter controls are required because some of the 57,000 people who are under orders to stay home have slipped out by leaving behind smartphones with tracking apps.

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Plans for broader use of wristbands were scaled back after objections by human rights and legal activists.

Worldwide, confirmed infections rose to 1.7 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

South Korea has reported 10,450 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far with 208 deaths and 7,117 according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.