Government to Fully Implement 'Travel Bubble'
Overseas Travel Without Quarantine Allowed
Singapore, Saipan, Guam Actively Involved
Vaccinated Individuals Allowed for Group Tours First
Vaccine Types Undecided... Further Discussion on AZ Needed
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Starting as early as next month, COVID-19 vaccinated individuals are expected to be able to travel freely without quarantine to Singapore, Saipan, Guam, and other destinations. This is because the government has decided to actively promote the 'Travel Bubble'?a travel safety zone that allows free travel with countries whose quarantine measures are deemed trustworthy. Expectations are rising that the first gateway to overseas travel, which has been completely blocked due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, will open.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting held on the morning of the 9th, "We plan to allow group travel starting as early as July for those who have completed vaccination, after consultations with countries where the quarantine situation is stable."
The Travel Bubble is a system that exempts quarantine between countries that have mutually secured trust in quarantine measures, thereby resuming international travel for general tourism purposes. Currently, short-term overseas tourism is not allowed in most countries, but if a Travel Bubble is established, travelers will only need to undergo a total of three COVID-19 tests upon entry and exit in the respective countries, allowing them to travel freely without quarantine.
An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained, "Although final consultations with the counterpart countries are still needed, since mid-July is the vacation season, we plan to make efforts to allow travel as early as next month."
The target countries likely include Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Guam, and Saipan, which have expressed interest in promoting the Travel Bubble. Among these, Singapore, Saipan, and Guam are known to be the most proactive in resuming tourism.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced this Travel Bubble promotion plan in March as part of efforts to revitalize the aviation industry. At that time, concerns about quarantine were raised, but as vaccination has become more widespread, quarantine authorities have also agreed in principle to promote the Travel Bubble.
In the initial phase, only group travel, which is easier to manage, will be allowed for vaccinated individuals. The vaccines permitted for travel will be finalized during negotiations with the respective countries. It is expected that internationally recognized vaccines such as Pfizer and Janssen will be included, but AstraZeneca (AZ) requires further discussion as it has not yet been approved in some countries.
Although daily confirmed cases in Korea remain in the 400 to 600 range, as the number of vaccinated individuals increases, discussions between countries for the Travel Bubble are expected to gain momentum.
On the 8th (local time), the U.S. Department of State downgraded the travel advisory for Korea from Level 2 'Enhanced Caution' to Level 1 'Exercise Normal Precautions.' As of midnight on that day, a total of 9,202,346 people in Korea had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, representing a vaccination rate of 17.9% of the population. AstraZeneca was administered to 6,313,589 people, and Pfizer to 2,888,757 people, respectively.
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