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By Kim Se-jeong
An undisclosed number of foreigners are being isolated after showing symptoms of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Tuesday.
Kyodo News reported 20 to 30 foreigners are secluded. The ministry refused to unveil the exact number of suspected foreign MERS patients in isolation or their nationalities.
"We have notified embassies about their citizens being in isolation," an official said.
The official said the government is working closely with the embassies, adding they requested not to disclose the profiles of those individuals under screening.
No suspected patients, either Korean or foreign, are allowed to leave the country after showing symptoms.
But some may have left the country while they were waiting for test results during the disease's incubation period, deepening concerns for the spread of the disease beyond Korea's borders.
Earlier Tuesday, Japan's Kyodo News reported two Japanese citizens who were put in isolation returned to Japan on June 15.
The agency said they tested negative for MERS in Korea and a separate examination by Japanese authorities found them free of the virus.
Korean authorities reportedly were unaware of their departure.
As of Tuesday, the deadly virus had killed 19 among a total of 154 confirmed cases, but there have been no foreign victims.
The government has encouraged foreign residents to report to authorities if they experience symptoms or have visited infected hospitals. The MERS hotline (109) is now available in 19 languages — English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Mongolian, Indonesian, Urdu, French, Bengali, Russian, Nepalese, Khmer, Burmese, German, Spanish, Tagalog, Arabic and Sri Lankan.
The government promised financial assistance for non-Korean victims of the deadly virus. Those who have to overstay their visa because of MERS symptoms will not be penalized if they report to the authorities, officials said.
Worries abound in the expat community. Pages on Facebook are filled with MERS-related postings and information, including the names of hospitals that were exposed to MERS patients.
"Just make sure none of us goes to hospital for anything," one user wrote. "Proper hand washing with soap and warm water helps. So does hand sanitizer," another wrote.
One talked about a lesson Korea should learn from the MERS outbreak.
"Swine flu, SARS, chicken flu, Ebola ... now MERS. Gazing into my mystical & magical crystal ball, I predict there will soon be more!!! Key word ‘prepare.'"
Jose Luis Duran Sanles, 31, from Spain, said he was frustrated with the lack of information in the beginning, but now feels more at ease. He doesn't think it will affect him in any way, but said he wants to stay cautious. "I still wear masks when I go out to public places," Sanles said.
