'COVID-19 Resurgence' 55 Countries Banning Entry from Korea, Decline Reversed... 25 Countries Lift Entry Restrictions

10 Countries Including the US and Japan Implement Facility Quarantine Measures... Japan Lifts Entry Ban for 9 Countries Including Korea from the 1st
Decline Slows Amid COVID-19 Resurgence

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The downward trend in the number of countries imposing entry bans on travelers from Korea due to the resurgence of COVID-19 has stalled. In October, the number of countries with entry bans on travelers from Korea, which had fallen below 60, has remained in the mid-50s as the global COVID-19 resurgence becomes more pronounced.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 7th, the number of countries imposing entry bans on travelers from Korea was counted at 55, one less than the previous week. The strictest entry restriction, the entry ban, had been rapidly decreasing, but the trend has somewhat stalled as new COVID-19 cases have surged sharply, especially in European countries. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Europe has surpassed 11 million, and the number of cases in the United States is approaching 10 million, at around 9.8 million.

The number of countries imposing measures such as facility quarantine increased by one to 10 countries. These include the United States, Paraguay, Tunisia, Mauritius, Burundi, Benin, Comoros, and Japan, which recently eased its entry restrictions. Starting from the 1st, Japan lifted entry bans on travelers from nine countries including Korea and lowered its infectious disease risk information level from level 3 to level 2.

The number of countries implementing the lowest level of measures, such as enhanced quarantine and recommendations, increased by one to 97 countries. This is the result of some countries that had lifted entry restrictions strengthening them again due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Countries such as the Maldives, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Thailand, Pakistan, Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Sweden, Spain, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Italy are implementing enhanced quarantine and recommendation measures.

The number of countries that have lifted entry-related measures for travelers from Korea remained at 25, the same as last week, with a decrease of one country. European countries such as Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Belgium, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, France, and Finland are included.

Despite the clear global trend of COVID-19 resurgence, the Korean government continues efforts to maintain human and material exchanges. Through overseas diplomatic missions, negotiations are underway with local governments to support exceptions for business travelers and others, and a 'fast-track system' for essential personnel has been introduced with China, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This measure simplifies entry without separate quarantine requirements.

The government is continuing discussions to introduce the fast-track system with Vietnam, a major trading partner, and plans to expand the target beyond ASEAN countries. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official explained, "Due to significant concerns over the spread of COVID-19, progress with Vietnam has been slow but is ongoing," adding, "We plan to expand the system to regions beyond ASEAN in the future."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

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