A total of 94 countries and territories were imposing entry restrictions or stricter quarantine procedures on people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns, Seoul’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
As of 2 p.m., 33 countries and territories imposed an outright entry ban for travelers who have visited Korea in the past two weeks, according to the ministry website.
Qatar began to enforce an entry ban starting Monday on foreigners with a record of visits to South Korea, China, Iran, Italy or Egypt over the past month.
Foreigners who have residential permits in the Middle Eastern country will face a 14-day quarantine at a designated facility.
Five other countries, the Maldives, Vietnam, Japan, Fiji and the Philippines were barring the entry of those with a record of visits to South Korea’s Daegu city and nearby North Gyeongsang Province, the main clusters of COVID-19 infections.
Including 15 provinces in China, 22 countries and regions were imposing a mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers from Korea. The Chinese island province of Hainan was added to the list.
Costa Rica now requires all passengers from Korea, China, Italy, and Iran to undergo separate health screenings inside the airport.
Denmark recommends a two-week home quarantine for those who came from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, as well as a few other virus-affected locations.
Venezuela has been moved to the list of those requiring foreigners from Korea, China, Japan, and Singapore to be quarantined at a facility if they are suspected of infection.
The South American nation had been carrying out temperature checks upon arrival and monitoring thereafter.
That puts the number of countries with less strict quarantine procedures or quarantine recommendations at 34, including Nepal, which has announced a halt to issuing arrival visas for foreigners from virus affected countries starting next Tuesday.
Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha said that the rise in entry restrictions does not necessarily mean South Korea’s image has been tainted because those measures were taken by countries lacking capabilities to cope with the virus.
“I spoke to a number of counterparts in foreign countries and they told me that (the measures) were taken because they had lax quarantine systems.
“And these really have nothing to do with the issue of friendship with Korea.
“We are continuing consultations so that business people who must travel abroad and citizens who need to travel to see their relatives can make a trip to the country,’’ she told a parliamentary session in response to a lawmaker’s question.
Seoul has been ramping up diplomatic efforts to persuade foreign governments to refrain from implementing excessive entry restrictions.
Kang Kyung-wha has spoken by phone with her counterparts from India, Iraq, Indonesia, and El Salvador on Tuesday and called for easing of the measures.
First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young met with U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris later Wednesday to reiterate Seoul’s efforts to stem the virus.
The U.S. has not yet implemented entry restrictions.
But U.S. President, Donald Trump said Tuesday (U.S. time) that Washington is looking closely at South Korea over the coronavirus outbreak and will decide whether to impose travel restrictions on its Asian ally at the right time.
All South Korean passengers on flights bound for the U.S. currently undergo temperature checks before boarding.
A foreign ministry official said Wednesday the government is seeking to send three rapid response teams to Vietnam this week to help some 270 Korean nationals who are in quarantine.
The Southeast Asian nation has imposed an entry ban on people from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province and a 14-day quarantine for those from other parts of Korea.
South Korea added 516 new cases of the new coronavirus on Tuesday, with the total number of infections standing at 5,328, with 33 deaths.
