'Pandemic Fear' 71 Countries Ban Entry to South Korea Nationwide... Entry Restrictions Increase to 140 Countries

Strengthened Entry Restrictions Worldwide, Lockdown Measures to Prevent Additional Influx
European Countries Also Join Entry Ban Efforts

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As fear of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) spreads, the number of countries locking down their borders is rapidly increasing. The World Health Organization's (WHO) declaration of a pandemic and the United States' ban on entry of foreigners arriving from Europe have further heightened global anxiety, with the number of countries imposing entry bans on all regions of South Korea surpassing half of the total.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related agencies on the 16th, a total of 140 countries worldwide (as of 9 a.m. on the 16th) have taken measures against entrants from South Korea. This means that 7 out of 10 United Nations (UN) member states (193 countries) are restricting entry from South Korea.

European countries, which had been refraining from imposing entry restrictions as much as possible, have joined the 'blind lockdown' trend following successive announcements by the WHO. Poland, Latvia, and Denmark have chosen to ban entry, Norway has raised its restriction level from mandatory self-quarantine to entry ban, and Uzbekistan has upgraded its quarantine measures to an entry ban. Estonia plans to ban entry of all foreigners starting from the 17th, and the Czech Republic has banned entry of all foreigners except long-term residents from the 16th. South Africa will also ban entry of foreigners who have visited South Korea, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United States, and other countries starting from the 18th.

As a result, the number of countries imposing entry bans on all regions of South Korea has sharply increased to 71. This is an increase of six countries compared to the 65 countries as of 10 p.m. the previous day.

Countries imposing entry bans on certain regions include six countries such as Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Since the 9th, Japan has announced extensive measures including entry bans, visa restrictions, strengthened quarantine, and airport restrictions without prior notice, effectively implementing near-total entry bans. In response, the South Korean government has taken reciprocal measures, and the daily number of entrants between the two countries has sometimes dropped to single digits.

Compared to entry bans, 17 countries have implemented quarantine measures. Within China alone, 22 local governments have set their own standards and continue to impose facility quarantine and other measures on foreigners entering China. While some cases have eased from facility quarantine to self-quarantine, provinces such as Jilin, Henan, Heilongjiang, and Shanghai are still confirmed to be quarantining entrants in designated facilities.

The number of countries implementing relatively lower-level measures such as strengthened quarantine or recommending self-quarantine has decreased to 46. This is due to some countries strengthening their entry restrictions. Although the proportion of countries notifying lower-level measures was once high due to the South Korean government's efforts through diplomatic channels, the number of countries adopting stricter measures is increasing amid the COVID-19 pandemic fear.

Among these, some countries have lowered previously raised thresholds. Hong Kong, which had banned entry from South Korea, decided from midnight on the 17th to require 14-day self-quarantine only for nationals and foreigners entering after visiting South Korea within 14 days. Entrants from Daegu and Gyeongbuk will be quarantined in designated facilities.

Vietnam has allowed limited entry for businesspeople. This is the result of persistent persuasion by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters and the consulate general. Vietnam, which imposes quarantine measures on Koreans and restricts landings of flights from South Korea, has permitted entry for 186 Samsung Display engineers who hold business visas and government-certified health certificates. They are undertaking modification work on the flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) module production line located in Bac Ninh Province in northern Vietnam.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is negotiating with about 20 countries to create cases allowing exception entry for businesspeople like Vietnam. So far, it is known that 3 to 4 countries have allowed limited entry for businesspeople who meet the requirements. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare are also sharing roles to find solutions.

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “We are negotiating to ensure that business activities are not hindered by issuing health certificates and other measures,” adding, “There are places where exceptions have been recognized, and we will expand such cases.”

The arrival hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport is quiet on the 6th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

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