TRAVEL ADVISORY TO EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea has issued a "yellow" travel advisory calling for restraint in traveling to European countries where the coronavirus is spreading fast. Special entry procedures have also been expanded to cover all of Europe since Monday. But Seoul is not yet considering restrictions such as an entrance ban or mandatory quarantine of incoming travelers as for now.

[Pkg]

The foreign ministry on Monday issued a "yellow" travel advisory -- the third highest in a four-tier system -- urging restraint in travels to Western and Central European nations. It applies to 36 countries including EU nations such as Italy, France and the UK, as well as Vatican City. The list covers almost all countries in Western and Central Europe. Except for Italy for which a yellow advisory was already issued last week, the government skipped the lowest level travel advisory for all the other countries and went straight to the next highest level. This unusual move implies the government is viewing the COVID-19 situation in Europe very seriously. The ministry expressed concern that infections are increasing in Europe where movement is relatively free and asked the public to refrain from traveling there. It also urged Korean nationals currently in Europe to take extra precautions. Special entry procedures have also been expanded to all of Europe since Monday. However, the goverment is known to not be considering entry restrictions as of yet, such as placing an entry ban or putting travelers from certain countires under quarantine. For now, South Korea believes the spread of the virus can be prevented using the special measures currently in place and other systems such as smartphone apps aimed at tracking the movements of foreign visitors.