Two more cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza(AI) have been reported at poultry farms on Tuesday.

Quarantine authorities confirmed that the two cases were detected at a chicken farm in the southwestern city of Gimje in North Jeolla Province and a duck farm in Wanju County in the same province that have over 66-thousand chickens and 81-hundred ducks, respectively.

The new cases brought the season’s confirmed cases at poultry farms to eight, with testing under way for two more suspected cases from chicken farms in the North Jeolla city of Iksan.

The authorities sent an initial response team to the farms in Iksan, implementing quarantine measures, including cordoning off the affected farms, conducting an epidemiologic study and culling chickens. 

The provincial government issued a 24-hour standstill order through 10 p.m. Wednesday, banning the movement of personnel and vehicles from poultry farms and related livestock facilities.