The story that fills the headlines of Korea’s online and offline news these days is the terrifying story of the coronavirus spreading from Wuhan, China. In fact, how scary and anxious would it be for foreigners to come to Korea when even Koreans like me who live in Korea feel this anxious at the news? Trying to soothe them most effectively, We’ve done some research that describes the current situation regarding the coronavirus in Korea quite objectively.
No additional confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have been reported in South Korea. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(KCDC) said on Jan. 29th that the number of confirmed cases remains at 4. The latest number of suspected patients will be announced later in the day.
As of 9:00 a.m. on 28th, there were 112 suspected patients in quarantine, of which 97 were later discharged after testing negative for the virus and 15 were awaiting test results. The four confirmed patients are under treatment in isolation at state-designated hospitals. The first two patients were either quarantined or monitored after showing pneumonia-like symptoms upon arrival from the central Chinese city of Wuhan. However, the third and fourth patients, initially showing no symptoms, were sequestered days after arrival.
South Korean airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan and other cities in China as scare over the outbreak of life-threatening coronavirus spreads across the world and produced a fourth patient in Korea. Air Seoul, budget carrier affiliate of the country’s second-largest flag carrier Asiana Airlines on Tuesday said it was temporarily suspending all flights to China – Zhangjiajie, and Liny.
It is the first airline in Korea to stop flights to Chinese destinations other than Wuhan, which has been put on lockdown to contain the deadly respiratory virus outbreak. The airline said it will exempt fees for cancellation or change of schedule on all flights to China, dated Jan 24 and onwards, until it resumes operation. Other airlines are following suit.
Fortunately, the virus seems to cause only minor symptoms — such as fever and difficulty with breathing — in people who are young and healthy. Most of the 41 deaths tied to the coronavirus to date have been in people who were at least 50 years old with underlying medical problems or weakened immune systems, Chinese officials said.
“We don’t have evidence yet to suggest this is any more virulent than the flu you see in the U.S. each year,” said Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiology researcher at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Most people, with proper medical attention, will do just fine.” (Los Angeles Times)
No other country in the world has classified South Country as a hazardous one regarding coronavirus. The world-widely used standard; CDC Travel.State.Gov still renders South Korea the best level-> Exercise Normal Precautions.
? Travel Advisory of South Korea in some Major countries
USA: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthKorea.html
Australia: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/south-korea-republic-korea
United Kingdoms: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-korea
Singapore: https://www.mfa.gov.sg/countries-regions/k/korea-republic-of/travel-page
Philippines: https://dfa.gov.ph/dfa-news/statements-and-advisoriesupdate
Canada: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-korea
Mapping the Wuhan Coronavirus Data by Johns Hopkins