KCDC announces changes in quarantine and infectious disease contaminated areas to overseas travelers

◇ Quarantine and infectious disease contaminated areas changed from 59 to 60
- Five Countries Excluded: Myanmar, Bangladesh, North Korea, Jordan, Iraq
- Six Countries Added: Nepal, Somalia, Haiti, Yemen, Taiwan, The Philippines
◇ Submission of health questionnaire upon arrival in Korea after visits to quarantine and infectious disease contaminated areas mandatory

□ The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC, Director Jung Ki-Suck) announced a change in the quarantine and infectious disease contaminated areas as of February 10 according to the trend of infectious diseases abroad.
○ In order to prevent the inflow of infectious diseases occurring in overseas countries, the KCDC is executing a quarantine operation by designating quarantine and infectious disease* contaminated areas based on the infectious disease information reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Health Regulation (IHR) and diplomatic offices abroad.
* Quarantine and Infectious Diseases: Quarantine and infectious diseases are diseases originating abroad that may enter Korea and are designated according to the Quarantine Act (animal influenza , cholera, pest, yellow fever, severe acute respiratory syndrome, novel influenza A virus, MERS-CoV, polio and the Ebola virus)
○ Accordingly, the number of quarantine and infectious disease contaminated areas has been changed from 59 to 60.
- In detail, five countries have been excluded and six added as a result of the decrease of countries subject to the occurrence of animal influenza, MERS-CoV and polio and the increase of countries subject to the occurrence of cholera.
* Five Countries Excluded: Myanmar, Bangladesh, North Korea, Jordan, Iraq
* Six Countries Added: Nepal, Somalia, Haiti, Yemen, Taiwan, The Philippines
□ The Quarantine Act prescribes that travelers who have stayed in or passed through quarantine and infectious disease contaminated areas should fill out a health questionnaire upon arrival in Korea and submit it to quarantine officers.
○ Violation of this Act may result in a fine of up to KRW 10 million. Therefore, travelers visiting the affected countries are required to exercise extra caution.
○ Quarantine and infectious disease contaminated areas can be found on the KCDC website (www.kdca.go.kr), through the KCDC call center (Tel.:1339) and also at airports and ports across the country and inside airplanes and ships.