Moon calls for tighter immigration measures against omicron variant

SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday instructed aides to swiftly implement tighter immigration measures against the omicron variant of COVID-19, shortly after health authorities reported the nation's first suspected case of the variant.

Moon made the remark after he was briefed that health authorities have conducted a genome sequencing test on a couple who recently arrived in South Korea from Nigeria and tested positive for COVID-19, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement.

Moon also instructed aides to swiftly develop test kits for the omicron variant and come up with a new containment strategy against the new COVID-19 variant, Park said.

The couple, who were fully vaccinated, visited Nigeria on Nov. 14-23 and tested positive for COVID-19 last Thursday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The results will be announced Wednesday.

From Sunday, South Korea restricted visa issuance and arrivals from eight African nations, including South Africa, to block the inflow of the new COVID-19 strain, joining a host of nations in imposing travel bans from and to the African region.

kdh@yna.co.kr
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