Public concern is rising across the country over an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome, which has so far infected 35 people, killed two and closed more than 500 schools.

With new cases of infection being reported on a daily basis, the number of people placed under quarantine has exceeded 1,600. Fearful citizens are stocking up on face masks and hand sanitizers.

Health authorities are certainly to blame for their clumsy initial response. President Park Geun-hye called for “utmost efforts” to prevent further spread of the deadly virus in an emergency meeting of government officials and civilian experts she convened Wednesday to map out a comprehensive quarantine strategy. Park herself is criticized for having been inactive in coping with the outbreak of the disease.

While the government is mainly responsible for its negligent response, it is also important for citizens to behave responsibly. Close cooperation among the government, health experts and individuals is essential to prevent the country from being gripped by an excessive panic and the deadly virus from spreading further.

To our regret, we have seen irresponsible individual behavior make the situation worse.

The first patient in Korea ― a 68-year-old man diagnosed with MERS on May 20 ― concealed the fact that he had traveled to three Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, in April when he saw medical doctors at four hospitals.

A woman in her 50s, who was supposed to be under quarantine at home in Seoul, went with a group of 10 acquaintances to play golf in a provincial town this week.

A 44-year-old man, a son of the third person infected with the virus in Korea, ignored the advice of doctors to stay at home and flew to Hong Kong from Seoul last week. The man, who subsequently traveled to a city in the nearby Chinese province of Guangdong, is now on a respirator at a local hospital.

Their cases may reflect the widespread tendency in our society of disregarding law and rules. This irresponsible attitude is worrisome as individual vigilance is as important as efforts by government officials and health experts in containing an infectious disease. It should be noted that individual hygiene is the first and most fundamental step toward preventing the spread of a deadly virus in an era when it is easily transmitted across borders.

It may be necessary to punish people more sternly for their failure to follow quarantine instructions or report suspected cases to health authorities.

Individual Koreans are now required to do their part to help prevent the spread of MERS virus and panic. They should refrain from spreading groundless rumors on social networking services and avoid being swayed by them.

Experts note the coming weeks will be a watershed in containing the spread of the virus from going out of control. Although some tertiary infections were reported at hospitals, it will be crucial to prevent them from occurring in communities. In this regard, all people, especially those under quarantine, should behave responsibly, following advice from health experts.