Koreans are detained in a quarantine facility in Hanoi, Vietnam on Friday. /Yonhap
The number of countries that ban or restrict entry for travelers from Korea for fear of the spread of coronavirus has mushroomed.
As of Sunday evening, 81 countries restricted entry or stepped up quarantine checks of travelers from Korea, or at least the infection hotbeds of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, up five from a day earlier, according to the Foreign Ministry here. This is a sixfold increase in just a week.
The U.S. too could close its doors to travelers from Korea if the situation gets worse. President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday, "In addition to screening travelers 'prior to boarding' from certain designated high-risk countries, or areas within those countries, they will also be screened when they arrive in America".
Angola, Laos and Turkey newly banned travelers from Korea, while Ghana, Honduras and Nigeria stepped up checks.
In most cases the Korean government was not told in advance, which means that many Korean students and businessmen have been unable to depart for foreign countries to study or do business and Korean tourists have been stranded at foreign airports.
On Saturday, the U.S. State Department raised the travel advisory for Daegu, warning its citizens "not to travel" there. In a press conference at the White House the same day, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who has been put in charge of the fight against the virus, said, "We are urging Americans to not travel to the areas in Italy and the areas in [Korea] that are most affected by the coronavirus".
The travel advisory is non-binding. But Pence also said that the State Department will "work with our allies in Italy and in [Korea] to coordinate a screening, a medical screening, in their countries of any individuals that are coming into the United States of America".
U.S. universities including Harvard and Princeton are asking their students and staff on websites or through e-mails to quarantine themselves for 14 days if they have been to Korea.
Last Friday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry raised its advisory for infectious diseases in parts of Korea.
Chinese airports in big cities have also stepped up quarantine checks on travelers from Korea. Of the 23 Chinese airports where planes from Korea land, at least 16 are quarantining and checking all passengers for coronavirus. According to the Korean Embassy in Beijing, 127 Koreans had been isolated in hotels throughout China as of Sunday noon.