Ministry of Foreign Affairs Extends Global 'Special Travel Advisory' Until June 18

On the 14th, the domestic terminal at Gimpo Airport in Seoul is bustling with travelers taking advantage of the golden holiday weekend./Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has extended the special travel advisory for all countries and regions worldwide until August 18.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs initially issued the second special travel advisory from June 20 to August 19, but decided to extend it again considering the situation of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Unless there is a separate extension measure, the special travel advisory will be automatically lifted on August 19. For countries and regions where travel alerts level 3 and 4 have already been issued, higher-level action guidelines than the special travel advisory are already in effect, so there is no impact from the issuance of the special travel advisory.

The special travel advisory is a measure equivalent to travel alert level 2 or above but below level 3, issued for up to 90 days in cases of urgent short-term risks. This extension of the special travel advisory is a decision made in consideration of △ WHO's maintenance of the pandemic declaration and the global spread of COVID-19 △ increase in domestic infections and confirmed COVID-19 cases imported from abroad △ implementation of travel restrictions such as entry bans targeting the world by a considerable number of countries △ ongoing suspension of flight operations, and the continued need for measures to prevent overseas infection of our citizens and isolation/quarantine during overseas travel.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the urgent domestic quarantine situation requiring restraint on overseas visits by our citizens to minimize the occurrence of confirmed cases imported from abroad amid ongoing concerns about the spread of COVID-19 domestically and internationally.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged, "If you are planning to travel abroad during the special travel advisory period, please cancel or postpone your travel plans," and added, "If you are staying overseas, please pay special attention to your personal safety by strictly adhering to hygiene rules, refraining from participating in mass events and going out or moving around, minimizing contact with others, and practicing 'social distancing' to avoid exposure to COVID-19 infection damage."

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