The government of Vietnam will stop granting visas to South Korean nationals from February 29 given an increasing number of people infected with the new coronavirus (Covid-19) in the Northeast Asian country.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung at the meeting. Photo: VGP

This is a temporary solution for the epidemic control, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung said at a governmental meeting on Friday morning [February 28].

The government will also quarantine all people coming from South Korea or staying in that country within 14 days before entering Vietnam.

Vietnam will also quarantine Iranian and Italian visitors for 14 days.

South Korea is the country outside China reporting the highest the number of infections that has passed 2,000, mostly in Daegu city, North Gyeongsang province.

Five days ago, South Korean President Moon Jae-in raised the country’s threat alert level to the highest in a four-level scale when the country confirmed 602 cases.

Vietnam, meanwhile, has reported no new infected cases over the past 15 days and all 16 infected people have recovered.

The country currently quarantines 79 people and supervises 4,939 others who came from epidemic-hit areas and people made contact with them.

Stop issuing visas is one of the measures together with suspending flights to and from epidemic-hit zones in South Korea.

Late last month, Vietnam also stopped granting visas to Chinese nationals and suspended flights to and from epidemic-stricken areas in China.

Trade exchanges at border gates between the two countries have plunged due to epidemic controls.

On January 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus a global health emergency.

As of February 28, the Covid-19 has spread to 54 countries and territories with 83,374 people infected and 2,858 deaths, including 70 deaths outside China.