103 countries, territories restricting entry from S. Korea over coronavirus fears

All News 10:53 March 08, 2020

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, March 8 (Yonhap) -- A total of 103 countries and territories were enforcing or planning to impose entry restrictions or tougher quarantine procedures on people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns, foreign ministry data showed Sunday.

The tally, as of 9 a.m., remains unchanged from late Saturday's figure, with 36 countries and territories barring the entry of travelers from all of South Korea, according to the foreign ministry website.

Six other countries were either planning to enforce or already imposing an entry ban on people who have been in two of Korea's southeastern areas -- Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province -- where the bulk of COVID-19 infections have occurred -- in the past two weeks.

Some of them apply the ban to a few other nearby cities and counties as well, like the Maldives, which imposes the ban on Korea's second-largest city of Busan.

Starting Sunday, Indonesia is banning the entry of foreigners who have visited Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province in the past two weeks.

Japan is set to adopt a temporary 14-day self-quarantine for people flying in from Korea and China from Monday and ask them to refrain from using public transport. Flights can only land at Narita International Airport near Tokyo and Kansai International Airport in Osaka.

A total of 15 countries and territories, including 18 Chinese provinces, are currently quarantining people from South Korea or other virus-affected countries at designated facilities.

The number of countries and territories imposing stricter immigration controls, such as a suspension on the issuance of arrival visas, or requiring or recommending self-quarantine stood at 45.

Of them, Cyprus has toughened the self-quarantine recommendation by conducting surveys and temperature checks on people, including its own citizens, coming from Korea, China and other virus-hit countries.

Tunisia also now places all foreigners flying in from Korea, China, Italy and Iran under a 14-day self-quarantine regardless of whether they show possible symptoms.

South Korea added 367 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday morning, bringing the nation's total number of infections to 7,134, with 50 deaths.