President Park Geun-hye said Monday that she will give full authority to medical experts over the MERS virus, the latest in a series of efforts to contain the virus that has killed six South Koreans.
  

The experts "should be given full authority and immediately respond to an ever-changing situation" on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Park said in a meeting with officials and experts at the government complex building in downtown Seoul.
  

The meeting came three days after Park visited the National Medical Center, a state-designated hospital for infected patients, in downtown Seoul.
  

The moves demonstrated her commitment to quickly containing the virus and allaying widespread public fear sparked by the disease.
  

South Korea has been on high alert against the disease since its first patient was reported on May 20. So far, 87 South Koreans have tested positive for MERS, of whom six have died.
  

She also called on officials and experts to thoroughly monitor whether people suspected of being infected with MERS remain in self-quarantine, the key measure to stop the spread of the virus.
  

The government said the number of people quarantined from the disease has jumped to 2,508, while 583 people were recently released from quarantine.
  

She also instructed officials to come up with measures to try to minimize the negative impact the disease could have on the economy.
  

The comment came hours after Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said that his ministry is considering providing support for tourism, retail and other sectors hit hard by the MERS outbreak, noting the outbreak could hurt consumption and business investment.
  

Park only plans to hold an essential meeting this week to focus all her attention on containing the MERS virus.
  

The disease has put Park's key agenda items, including labor reform and the nomination for a new justice minister, on the back burner.
  

"All tasks of Cheong Wa Dae are now focused on MERS for the time being. It's fair to say other issues have come to a standstill," an official said.
  

Some ruling and opposition lawmakers pressed Park to consider delaying her visit to the United States unless the virus is quickly contained.
  

Ha Tae-keung, a lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, made the request for a delay, saying that Park needs to demonstrate her commitment to containing the virus.
  

He also claimed that the U.S. could fully understand South Korea's situation, saying that U.S. President Barack Obama canceled his trip to Asia in 2013 due to a government shutdown.
  

Still, the presidential office showed no indication of rescheduling Park's visit to the U.S. this coming weekend.
  

"There is nothing to announce" regarding any possible change in Park's visit to the U.S., presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters.
  

Park is set to leave for Washington on Sunday for talks with Obama.
  

The two leaders are scheduled to hold summit talks on June 16 to exchange views on a broad range of security, economic and global issues, including the South Korea-U.S. alliance. (Yonhap)

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