The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on the 26th that it has designated priority quarantine management areas and quarantine management areas in the second quarter of this year. Quarantine management areas refer to regions where infectious diseases are prevalent or there is a risk of an outbreak, leading to the possibility of their introduction into the country, while priority quarantine management areas are those where deadly infectious diseases are currently prevalent.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will designate priority and quarantine management areas every quarter starting this year, instead of every six months as before. This change aims to quickly reflect the overseas infectious disease situation and effectively manage the introduction of diseases into the country.
A total of 167 countries are designated as quarantine management areas, and 18 countries have been designated as priority quarantine management areas. Newly added priority quarantine management areas include regions in China, such as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Guizhou Province, Chongqing, and Hubei Province. Previously designated priority quarantine management areas, such as Mexico and Jiangxi Province, Zhejiang Province, and Fujian Province in China, have been removed from the current list.
Individuals who have stayed or transited through these priority quarantine management areas must report their health status to quarantine officials upon entering the country.
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Commissioner Ji Young-mi noted, “Starting this year, we will designate priority quarantine management areas based on quarterly risk assessments and provide effective health information to travelers through a pilot program for respiratory infectious disease testing services.”