Seoul: South Korea said on Tuesday it plans to tighten border checks for all arrivals from overseas to prevent new cases of coronavirus coming into the country at a time when domestically transmitted infections are subsiding.
"We've assessed that there's a need for universal special entry procedures for all arrivals, given rapid increases in new cases not only in Europe but also in the United States and Asia in the wake of the pandemic", Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told a briefing.
The stricter border checks for all arrivals will start on Thursday.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 84 new coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, marking a third day in a row that the county has reported fewer than 100 new infections, raising hopes that Asia's largest outbreak outside China may be easing.
The new numbers are well below a Feb. 29 peak of 909, and bring the country's total infections to 8,320, the KCDC said. The death toll rose by two to 81.
As of Sunday, there are 44 cases involving infected travellers, 16 of whom from Europe, 14 from China and another 14 from other Asian countries, Kim said. Six of them were South Koreans who tested positive between Friday and Sunday after showing symptoms during border checks.
Seoul has already imposed the rules on visitors from China, Italy and Iran, requiring them to sign up by a smartphone application to track whether they have any symptoms such as fever.
SMALLER CLUSTERS
President Moon Jae-in has said he was increasingly confident South Korea would overcome the virus as the rate of new cases continued to drop.
Another 264 patients were released on Tuesday from hospitals where they had been isolated for treatment, bringing the total to 1,401, the KCDC said. South Korea reported more recoveries than new infections on Friday for the first time since its outbreak emerged in January.
The encouraging trend comes as tests and treatment of many patients are nearing completion in the hardest-hit city of Daegu, home to a fringe Christian church that was at the centre of the outbreak in South Korea.
But authorities renewed warnings against smaller clusters that continue to emerge, especially in the greater Seoul area.
At least 134 cases have been linked to a Seoul-based call centre operated by an insurance company whose 800-strong workforce is being tested or in quarantine for monitoring.
In Seongnam, south of Seoul, 46 members of a Protestant church have tested positive, including the pastor, who attended services twice early this month despite government calls to cancel mass gatherings.
The vice health minister said people at the church had even rinsed their mouths using the same salt water sprayer in an ill-advised effort to disinfect themselves.
"That is an example of how misinformation could raise the risks of infection", he said. "Once again, we're requesting the citizens to refrain from attending gatherings in enclosed space as much as possible."
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