South Korea names 59 countries 'disease prone'; inbound travelers must submit health report
Inbound travelers pass a quarantine checkpoint at Incheon International Airport in this photo taken on July 21, 2016. South Korea has designated 59 countries “disease-prone” and from Jan. 1 inbound travelers from them will be required to report their health status to authorities on arrival. / Korea Times file
By Hong In-taek, Park Si-soo
South Korea has designated 59 countries as plagued by infectious diseases.
Travelers from the countries will be required to report their health condition to authorities on arrival here from Jan. 1. Violators will be fined up to 10 million won ($9,350), according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
These countries are prone to the outbreak of nine state-designated infectious diseases, including cholera, plague, yellow fever and avian influenza.
India and Syria were added to the list and Nepal, Malawi, Zambia, Dominican Republic and Kuwait excluded. The entire Chinese territory, except Hong Kong and Macau, will be subject to the quarantine rule.
The following is the full list of the countries (source: KCDC)
Asia, Middle East:
Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, the Philippines, India, Syria.
Africa:
Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'lvoire, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Madagascar, Tanzania, Somalia, Mozambique.
America:
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Haiti.