Government to Apply 'Special Entry Procedures' for Arrivals from Europe Starting at Midnight on the 16th (Comprehensive)

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun "Expanding Special Entry Procedures to Entire Europe"... European Spread Shows Serious Signs
Prime Minister Jeong Orders "Prompt Review on Need for Additional Measures"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is speaking at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for COVID-19 response held at the Seoul Situation Center of the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room in the Government Seoul Office Building on the 16th. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced on the 16th that special entry procedures will be implemented for all of Europe starting at midnight. This measure aims to block the domestic inflow of COVID-19 due to its rapid spread within Europe.

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at the Government Seoul Office that morning, Prime Minister Chung said, "The spread of COVID-19 centered in Europe is serious," and instructed, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other related ministries should promptly review whether additional measures are necessary to prevent overseas inflow."

Prime Minister Chung assessed that, given the pandemic situation of COVID-19, it is difficult for not only Europe but also Africa to escape its impact. He stated, "Italy's confirmed cases have already exceeded 20,000, and Spain has declared a state of emergency," adding, "As confirmed cases in France and Germany are rapidly increasing, Africa, which has active exchanges with these countries, is also unlikely to be unaffected."

Accordingly, the government decided to expand the list of countries subject to special entry procedures?from the current nine countries including Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, China, Japan, and Iran?to the entire world. This implementation of special entry procedures for Europe is interpreted as a step toward expanding the scope globally.

Regarding the domestic COVID-19 situation, Prime Minister Chung emphasized that although hopeful signs are appearing, vigilance must not be relaxed. He said, "The urgent moment has passed, and somewhat hopeful signs are visible," urging, "We must not lower our guard in quarantine efforts." As of the 15th, the number of new confirmed cases in Korea was 76, falling below 100 for the first time in 23 days. Additionally, since the 13th, the number of new confirmed cases has been lower than the number of recovered patients, showing a significant slowdown in the increase of new cases.

In particular, Prime Minister Chung mentioned the explosive increase in confirmed cases centered on specific groups in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, stressing the need to be alert to cluster infections. He said, "New patient occurrences have dropped to double digits for the first time in 23 days, recovered patients have exceeded new confirmed cases for three consecutive days, and the recovery rate has surpassed 10% of all patients," but emphasized, "We must not forget the lessons from Daegu and Gyeongbuk."

Above all, he reiterated that the situation was very stable until just before cluster infections centered on the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji) were confirmed, but the spread was rapid, and hospitals could not handle the explosively increasing number of patients. He added, "COVID-19 has a much higher transmissibility compared to MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) in 2015," and warned, "Similar cluster infections can recur at any time."

Meanwhile, on the same day, Prime Minister Chung received reports on current issues from various ministries at the Seoul Government Office and planned to move to the Sejong Government Complex in the afternoon. On the 17th, he intends to participate via video in the Cabinet meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House and then return to Seoul. Considering the possibility of COVID-19 transmission, Prime Minister Chung plans to avoid face-to-face contact with President Moon for two weeks and communicate through video meetings or phone calls.