US May Ban Entry of Koreans if COVID Situation Worsens

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Donald Trump, President of the United States, is likely to approve new measures against Korea if the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Korea continues to rise, the Washington Post (WP) reported on the 27th (local time).

WP cited an official saying that the new restrictions could amount to a ban on all foreign nationals traveling from Korea to the United States. This means that not only Koreans but also foreigners who have stayed in Korea could be affected. Since the 31st of last month, the U.S. has been refusing entry to foreign nationals who have visited China within the previous two weeks.

If such measures are implemented, U.S. citizens will be able to return to the United States from Korea but will be subject to self-quarantine conditions, the official said. When the U.S. imposed entry bans on China, U.S. citizens returning from Hubei Province, which includes Wuhan, the epicenter of COVID-19, were required to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine at separate facilities.

This trend in the U.S. appears to be related to the fact that Korea has the second highest number of infection cases after China, and the spread of infection is increasing, including one U.S. military soldier and a family member stationed in Korea testing positive for COVID-19.

The U.S. has raised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel advisory for Korea to the highest level, Level 3 (Warning), and the State Department's travel advisory has also been raised to Level 3 (Reconsider Travel). The highest level for the State Department travel advisory is Level 4, which is a travel ban.

In a press conference related to COVID-19 the day before, President Trump was asked, "Are you considering restricting travel to or from Korea and Italy?" He replied, "Now is not the appropriate time," but left open the possibility of additional measures by saying, "We might do that at the appropriate time."

However, the U.S. State Department is known to have a negative stance on imposing entry bans on Korea. It appears to be considering factors such as the significant damage it could cause to Korea and the potential negative impact on the Korea-U.S. alliance.