At airports, health officials will put all travelers, foreign or domestic, into fever checks. They should submit papers on health conditions and download a smartphone app for monitoring by local government officials for two weeks during their stay in South Korea.
"In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is time to thoroughly prevent an influx from abroad," Deputy Health and Welfare Minister Kim Kang-rip told a regular press briefing on Tuesday. The number of foreign patients has increased to 44, including 14 from China, 14 from other Asian countries and 16 from Europe.
In recent days, six South Koreans have been quarantined as patients following their overseas trips. Kim said a complete entry ban is not realistic because South Korea's economy relies heavily on external trade.