Facility Quarantine Measures Maintained by 10 Countries Including the US, Japan, and Tunisia
Trend of Easing Entry Restrictions Curbed by Second Pandemic Fear Likely to Continue for Now
On the 21st, photojournalism capturing humanity's chaos, frustration, courage, and hope during the COVID-19 pandemic was exhibited on the exterior wall of Seoul Library in Jung-gu, Seoul. The offline exhibition, titled "2020 Seoul Global Photojournalism Exhibition: 2020 Seoul, Embracing Hope Again," hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, will continue until the 31st. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) shows a global resurgence trend, the easing trend of entry restrictions from Korea, which had eased since the end of last month, continues. Following the Korean government's decision to raise the social distancing level to 1.5 in the metropolitan area as well as parts of Gwangju and Gangwon, and the announcement of the possibility of further escalation, it is unlikely that the easing trend of entry restrictions will be expected for the time being.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 21st, the number of countries imposing entry bans on travelers from Korea remained at 55 countries (as of 10 a.m. on the 20th), the same as last week. The number of countries with entry bans, which had steadily decreased until mid-last month, stopped at 55 countries this month. Countries on the list include New Zealand, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Norway, Germany, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia.
China continues to maintain its policy of denying entry to holders of valid visas and foreign residence permits. Diplomats, government officials, permanent residents, and others are not affected, but quarantine procedures are being strengthened in some regions. Since the 11th, considering the resurgence of COVID-19, the Chinese government has implemented quarantine for all entrants, including foreigners and nationals, and there have been cases where charter flights of some companies were canceled. Although the Korean and Chinese governments have stated that the quarantine has been strengthened but the expedited entry system for businesspeople is maintained, concerns about entry are increasing.
The number of countries imposing facility quarantine on entrants from Korea is counted at 10 countries. This level has been maintained at 9 to 10 countries since the beginning of this month. Countries imposing facility quarantine measures include Japan, Cambodia, the United States, Tunisia, Benin, and Comoros.
The number of countries implementing the most relaxed measures such as strengthened quarantine and advisory measures is confirmed to be 98 countries. At one point, as several countries eased entry restrictions on travelers from Korea, this number increased sharply but the upward trend stopped just before reaching 100 countries. Countries implementing strengthened quarantine and advisory measures include the Maldives, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, as well as Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Greece, Denmark, Russia, Sweden, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
The number of countries that have lifted entry-related measures for travelers from Korea has also stopped at around 24 countries. Although it once increased to 26 countries, some European countries strengthened quarantine measures due to the spread of COVID-19, causing some to be removed from the list. Currently, all countries that have lifted entry-related measures are European countries, including the Netherlands, Romania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Turkey, France, and Finland.
Amid the strong resurgence of COVID-19, the 'Fast Track System' actively pursued through bilateral consultations by the Korean government has not seen additional cases introduced. Currently, Korea has introduced the Fast Track System with five countries including China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan. Discussions are underway with Vietnam for system introduction, but it is reported that final negotiations are facing difficulties. Accordingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is seeking consultations to expand the system to regions other than ASEAN countries.
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