Quarantine Strengthened for Entry from Hong Kong and Macao... Singapore Also Considering Measures (Update)

Passengers arriving on a flight from China at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport are passing through the quarantine checkpoint and having their domestic contact information verified at the China-exclusive immigration area.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Starting from the 12th, quarantine procedures for all domestic and foreign nationals entering South Korea from Hong Kong and Macau will be strengthened to the same level as those entering from China. They will enter through a separately designated exclusive entry gate, fill out a health status questionnaire, and undergo one-on-one temperature checks. They must also provide their domestic residence and contact information. This measure is to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia).

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Central Disease Control Headquarters), said at a briefing on the 11th, "From midnight on the 12th, Hong Kong and Macau, outside mainland China, will be designated as contaminated areas and quarantine will be strengthened." As of the previous day, Hong Kong had 36 confirmed cases (1 death), and cases of community transmission have been identified. Macau is the place with the second highest number of cases in China after Hubei Province. The health authorities judged that quarantine management is necessary because there is a high possibility of patients entering through these regions.

Director Jung explained, "Even before the cases 26 and 27, Hong Kong and Macau were being considered as additional candidate areas," adding, "The cases in Hong Kong initially came from mainland China, but there appear to be community transmission chains independent of China." She continued, "If similar community transmission cases increase in Singapore or other regions and the risk of widespread infection is judged, we are considering expanding the designation of contaminated areas accordingly."

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, the government designated Wuhan City as a contaminated area on January 8th last month, then expanded the scope to the entire China on the 28th of the same month. Contaminated areas are specific countries or regions designated by the government where certain infectious diseases have occurred, and quarantine is strengthened to prevent domestic inflow. In Singapore, there are 43 confirmed cases, the highest number outside mainland China. Among them, 21 patients had traveled to China, and the remaining 22 are presumed to have been infected through local transmission within Singapore.

Along with the addition of contaminated areas, travel history information will be expanded for Asian countries where community transmission cases have been confirmed. On this day, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are included, with Japan on the 13th, and Taiwan and Malaysia from the 17th.

Additionally, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters issued a recommendation to minimize travel and visits to six countries where community transmission has been confirmed: Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan. This is separate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' travel alert advisories. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the UK advises that travelers who have visited nine countries including South Korea, China, and Thailand report symptoms such as cough or fever within 14 days, but this is not a travel restriction recommendation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.