Ministry of Foreign Affairs Advises Against Travel to Three Northern Italy Provinces Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 28th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it has issued a Level 2 (Yellow Alert) travel advisory, which means travel caution, for three northern Italian regions: Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna.

This Yellow Alert issuance is a measure taken in consideration of the rapidly increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the three northern Italian regions of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna, raising concerns about the exposure risk of infection for Korean nationals residing there.

According to statistics from the Italian Ministry of Health, as of 6 a.m. on the 27th, there have been a total of 651 confirmed cases in Italy, including 403 in Lombardy, 111 in Veneto, and 97 in Emilia-Romagna.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Accordingly, Korean nationals currently staying in the aforementioned northern Italian regions are urged to pay special attention to their personal safety," and added, "Those planning to travel to these areas should carefully reconsider the necessity of their trip."

The travel advisory levels are composed of Level 1 (Blue Alert) indicating travel caution, Level 2 (Yellow Alert) indicating travel restraint, Level 3 (Red Alert) recommending evacuation, and Level 4 (Black Alert) prohibiting travel.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation in Italy and review the need to adjust the travel advisory accordingly.