S. KOREA ISSUES SPECIAL TRAVEL ADVISORY

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South Korea has issued an unprecedented special travel advisory, urging its citizens to cancel their trips abroad for the next one month. The government explains that the action is to protect Koreans from possible quarantine measures in foreign countries, as more than 170 countries and territories are imposing entry restrictions on Korean travelers.

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The nation's Foreign Ministry made an unprecedented move, amid the global spread of COVID-19. A special travel advisory, valid for the next four weeks until April 23rd is issued. It applies to all countries and regions,except for the ones affected by higher warnings of level three and four in Korea's four-tier alert system. The ministry urged people to cancel or postpone trips abroad while advising citizens overseas to take extra caution for their safety. The special advisory, issued in response to an urgent situation for a short period of time, is higher than level two and lower than level three alerts. This is the first time the Korean government is issuing a special worldwide travel advisory. The move comes as an increasing number of countries are shutting down borders and airports as well as canceling flights amid the global spread of COVID-19. According to a Foreign Ministry official, in most cases, people can get refunds for cancelled trips when a level three travel warning is in effect. Roughly 170 countries and territories are imposing entry restrictions on Korean travelers. That's an overwhelming majority of the 193 UN members. The U.S. usually grants a 90-day no-visa entry to Korean citizens. However, Hawaii has made it compulsory to place all Korean visitors under quarantine starting March 26th. The state government added that the quarantined people will have to cover all related costs. More and more countries and regions are now following Hawaii's system.