South Korea says that it will strengthen visa and entry restrictions for those from Bangladesh and Pakistan as the country has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases imported from the two nations, Yonhap News reported on Sunday.
The government said that under the precautionary measures, set to take effect from Tuesday, authorities will restrict issuing visas to people from Bangladesh and Pakistan, except for diplomatic and urgent business purposes.
At the same time, a temporary ban will be put on non-scheduled flights between South Korea and the countries, said the report.
“Moreover, the government will thoroughly check if foreigners with non-professional employment (E-9) visas have places for a two-week self-quarantine in South Korea before arrival. Those who do not secure proper facilities will be banned from entering the country,” says the Yonhap News report.
The toughened entry restrictions came as South Korea has faced a steep curve of new coronavirus cases from overseas in June.
The number of imported Covid-19 cases reached 13 on June 12 and a 68-day high of 17 on Friday.
The daily number of foreign arrivals also rose to 1,300 in recent days, up from around 1,000 per day in April, according to the government.
"Those imported cases are from countries that recently experienced widespread infections," the report quoted South Korea Health Minister Park Neung-hoo saying in a press briefing. "A rise in imported cases places a burden on our quarantine and treatment capabilities."
South Korea has been struggling with a resurgence of new coronavirus infections in Seoul and the surrounding areas. It reported 48 new cases of the coronavirus Sunday, including eight imported cases, with the cumulative number reaching 12,421.