Church-Originated COVID-19 Resurgence... Taiwan and Singapore Strengthen Quarantine for Travelers from Korea

Taiwan excluded from low- to medium-risk countries for Korea... Quarantine changed to government-designated facility
Singapore shifts from home quarantine to government-designated facility quarantine starting the 29th

Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport is quiet on the 8th. On this day, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCHQ) meeting held at the Government Sejong Complex regarding the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), "We will temporarily suspend visa exemptions and visa-free entry for countries that have banned the entry of our citizens, and expand restrictions on the entry of foreigners for non-essential purposes." / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) originating from churches is resurging domestically, some countries are consecutively strengthening entry quarantine measures against Korea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs understands that the quarantine strengthening measures by some countries are limited to certain countries rather than an overall trend, but since domestic confirmed cases are rapidly increasing, it seems necessary to closely monitor future trend changes.

According to the Korean Representative Office in Taipei and Taiwan's United Daily News on the 27th, Taiwan's health authorities have excluded Korea from the list of medium- and low-risk COVID-19 countries. If classified as a medium- or low-risk country, shortened self-quarantine measures apply to business visitors. Chen Shih-chung, Taiwan's Minister of Health, stated that this decision was made considering the increasing COVID-19 infection cases originating from church-related gatherings in Korea.

Since the end of June, Taiwan's health authorities have allowed business entry from 11 low-risk countries including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Macau, and 4 medium- and low-risk countries including Korea, Japan, and Singapore. Business visitors from these 15 countries staying for less than three months can apply for a shortened 14-day self-quarantine period. Japan was also excluded from the medium- and low-risk country list recently due to an increase in confirmed cases.

Singapore has also strengthened its entry-related measures. Singapore had applied home or residence quarantine measures to arrivals from Korea, but from the 29th, this will change to government-designated facilities. The Singapore Ministry of Health explained this decision by stating, "Korea has warned of a nationwide COVID-19 outbreak and implemented stricter social distancing." The strengthened measures also apply to those entering Singapore who have traveled to Korea within the past 14 days.

While some countries are strengthening quarantine measures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to continuously provide consular assistance to overseas Koreans and businesspeople. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kim In-cheol said, "The government has actively supported the return of overseas Koreans and has strived to ensure that the movement of essential personnel is not hindered as much as possible," adding, "We will continue such efforts."

Meanwhile, the number of countries imposing entry bans on arrivals from Korea has significantly decreased compared to May. The number of countries imposing entry bans dropped from 153 as of May to 91 as of 10 a.m. on the 27th. Additionally, 24 countries including the Netherlands, Romania, Hungary, France, Turkey, and Switzerland have lifted entry-related measures against arrivals from Korea.

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