Taiwan Raises Travel Alert to Level 2 for Korea and Japan Due to COVID-19 Impact

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Taiwan has raised its travel alert for South Korea and Japan by two levels due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to reports from Taiwan's Apple Daily and other media on the 23rd, Taiwan's health authorities announced that they have upgraded South Korea and Japan to a Level 2 travel alert, "Alert Area," due to the increase in infections caused by the spread of COVID-19 in these regions.

This measure was taken just two days after Taiwan classified South Korea and Japan as Level 1 caution areas on the 20th.

Taiwan's health authorities explained that this step means that Taiwanese travelers to these regions need to strengthen their protective measures against the virus as the situation in South Korea and Japan has become serious.

They added that the travel alert system consists of Level 1 Watch, Level 2 Alert, and Level 3 Warning. Whether South Korea and Japan, currently at Level 2, will be raised to Level 3 depends on clear evidence of community transmission and whether the cumulative confirmed cases in those countries exceed 1,000.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese media reported that the Taiwan military has recommended banning or postponing the departure of officers and soldiers to 29 countries and regions, including South Korea where COVID-19 has spread, and that about 200,000 military personnel are expected to be affected by this measure.

Local governments such as Penghu (Penghu) County and southern Tainan (Tainan) City have also been issuing travel bans for public officials to countries including South Korea and Japan.

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