Global 'Lockdown' Spreads Amid COVID-19 Fear...38 Countries Restrict Foreign Entry

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As the world faces fear of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and implements lockdown measures such as banning foreign entries, international travel is expected to remain frozen for some time.

According to the overseas safety travel information compiled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea on the 18th, 38 countries have restricted entry and exit as of that day. The scale is expected to grow even larger if the European Union (EU)'s ban is included. Since the spread of COVID-19, countries have turned negative toward international movement. Lawrence Wong, Singapore's Minister for National Development, emphasized at a press conference that "the government urges the cancellation of unnecessary overseas travel" and "overseas travel puts your family and everyone around you at risk."

In Europe, the Schengen Agreement, which allows free movement without visa or passport checks, is widely regarded as effectively collapsing. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, expressed hopeful wishes at a press conference, saying, "There will be positive movements in the next phase."

Earlier, Australia implemented strict lockdown measures, including a nationwide ban on outbound travel for the first time in history. Such measures are expected to negatively impact industries in each country. Already, museums, art galleries, and tourist attractions in major European cities are overshadowed by COVID-19. The Belgian government announced a 'lockdown' measure restricting citizens' movement from noon that day until at least May 5. Accordingly, citizens must stay at home, and movement is only allowed for going to supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, or in some urgent situations. Gatherings are prohibited, outdoor exercise is permitted but must maintain a distance of 1.5 meters from others.

The UK also closed the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, and Tate Britain galleries, and London's West End musical and theater venues, which rival New York's Broadway, were also closed. Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged minimizing social contact, including avoiding pubs, theaters, cinemas, and unnecessary travel during a press conference the previous day.

In France, on the first day of the nationwide travel ban, police officers began patrols with loudspeakers in the city to conduct inspections. To this end, 100,000 police officers have been deployed since that day. In Russia, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, a symbol of performing arts, announced the suspension of all scheduled performances and concerts until April 10 due to COVID-19. Factory operations are also being halted one after another. Volkswagen, Germany's largest automobile company, announced it would suspend operations at factories in Spain, Portugal, Slovakia, and Italy for 2 to 3 weeks, and Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, also decided to shut down most of its European factories that day.

On this day, confirmed COVID-19 cases rapidly increased, centered on Europe and the United States. According to COVID-19 statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US, confirmed cases in Europe exceeded 70,000, reaching 76,412. Italy saw a rapid increase of 3,526 cases in one day, surpassing 31,506 cases, and Spain exceeded 10,000 cases, reaching 11,748. In the US, the cumulative death toll exceeded 100 for the first time. The cumulative confirmed cases also surpassed 5,000 for the first time, reaching 5,894.

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