The government on Friday issued a standstill order for poultry farms across the nation to prevent the further spread of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus. 

The central disaster management headquarters dealing with the viral infection said a 48-hour standstill order will remain in place until 3 p.m. Sunday. The order applies to all poultry farms and related livestock facilities across the nation, banning the movement of all livestock, workers and vehicles.

The move came after a host of the H5N1 cases were confirmed in recent weeks, involving poultry farms at South and North Chungcheong provinces and North Jeolla Province, as well as wild birds collected from Gyeonggi, South Gyeongsang and Gangwon provinces. 

Earlier in the day, a chicken farm in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, which breeds around 33-thousand Korean native chicken, was confirmed to have been infected with the H5N1 virus. 

It marks the first time a Korean-pedigree chicken farm reported a H5N1 case this winter and follows 30 other cases reported elsewhere since November 8.