August 28, 2020 10:37
Several countries have toughened entry quarantine for travelers from Korea due to a resurgence of coronavirus infections here.
According to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, Taiwan has removed Korea from a list of mid to low-risk countries. That means arrivals from Korea now have to be quarantined for 14 days instead of seven.
Taiwanese health authorities pointed out that the Korean government has announced that the cases have yet to peak, posing "risks of a wider spread."
Singapore also changed the rules to require Korean visitors to remain quarantined for 14 days at government facilities rather than at home or in their hotel. The measure applies even to travelers who merely transited through Korea.
Meanwhile, a charter flight that was to take owners of small and medium-sized businesses to the Chinese city of Chongqing on Friday has been canceled by the Civil Aviation Administration of China due to the rising infections in Korea.
And Korean Americans traveling to Korea on American Airlines must now present negative COVID-19 test results or they will be refused boarding. The Foreign Ministry in a statement on Thursday said the reason seems to be a misunderstanding of regulations by airline staff.
The new restrictions are a blow for the Korean government, which had so far prided itself on how well it has managed to contain the epidemic. At present, 91 countries ban entry to Korean travelers.
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