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| People wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus walk in a park in Seoul, Saturday, June 20, 2020. AP |
By Jung Min-ho
The government will strengthen visa and entry restrictions for visitors from Pakistan and Bangladesh after reporting a surge in new COVID-19 cases imported from the two Asian countries.
Under the precautionary measures, set to come into force Tuesday, authorities will not issue new visas to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis except for diplomatic and urgent business purposes. Authorities will also suspend flights from the countries.
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo made the announcement Sunday, two days after 31 people were confirmed here to have contracted the coronavirus overseas. Pakistan accounts for 16 cases, followed by Bangladesh (7).
"A rise in imported cases increases the burden on quarantine and treatment capacities here," Park told reporters. "We will continue to keep an eye on the situations in other countries to control the spread of the virus effectively."
The government will also thoroughly check whether E-9 visa holders have places for a 14-day mandatory self-quarantine here before arrival. Those who fail to meet the requirement may not be allowed in.
According to the government, the daily number of foreign arrivals increased to around 1,300 in recent days, up from 1,000 in April.
