"Please Carefully Consider the Necessity of Travel"
The government issued a Level 2 travel alert (travel caution) for Wuhan City, China, the origin of the novel coronavirus infection, on the 23rd.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the same day, "As of the 23rd, a Level 2 travel alert (travel caution) has been issued for Wuhan City, China, and a Level 1 travel alert (travel advisory) has been issued for the entire Hubei Province except for Wuhan City."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' travel alerts consist of four levels: Level 1 Blue Alert (travel advisory), Level 2 Yellow Alert (travel caution), Level 3 Red Alert (recommendation to evacuate), and Level 4 Black Alert (travel ban).
The Ministry explained, "This travel alert was issued considering the rapid increase in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection first reported in Wuhan City in December last year, as well as Chinese authorities' measures such as the suspension of flights departing from Wuhan and the suspension of public transportation within Wuhan starting from the 23rd."
It added, "Koreans staying in Wuhan City should pay special attention to their personal safety, and those planning to travel to the area should carefully reconsider the necessity of their trip. Koreans planning to travel to Hubei Province are advised to exercise caution."
When asked whether there are plans to raise the alert to Level 3, a Ministry official explained, "We do not believe the situation has reached the level where an evacuation recommendation is necessary."
The Ministry stated, "We will continue to closely monitor the health situation in Wuhan City and Hubei Province and review the need for further adjustments to the travel alerts."
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