A cattle farm in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, reported a case of lumpy skin disease in its herd, bringing the national total for the year to five after infections earlier this week in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.

According to the agriculture ministry on Thursday, an initial quarantine team and a group of epidemiological investigators have been dispatched to the farm to control access and prevent the virus from spreading. 

Of some 30 cows at the farm, the infected animals were to be culled in line with the standard operating procedure. 

The ministry plans to administer vaccines and raise its crisis alert to the level of "serious" for Chungju and three other communities: Jecheon and Goesan, North Chungcheong Province; and Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province.

A temporary travel ban was in place in those areas through 11 p.m. Friday for people and vehicles in the livestock industry, as well as in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province; Icheon and Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province; and Wonju, Gangwon Province.