Ministry to strengthen quarantine against animal diseases over rising int'l flights

Quarantine officers guide travelers from overseas at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport, June 29, 2021. Yonhap

Korea will step up quarantine efforts at major airports and harbors to prevent African swine fever (ASF) and other contagious animal diseases from entering the country, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday.

The move comes as the number of international flights is set to increase further starting next month as the country plans to add hundreds more flights to meet growing demand for travel over the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it will beef up the quarantine system at eight airports and six harbors, including those in the western port city of Incheon, Gimpo in Seoul, and the southern resort island of Jeju.

The ministry will conduct on-site inspections and mock exercises this month to implement due quarantine procedures.

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It also vowed to strengthen the campaign to prevent foreign workers, international students and other immigrants from bringing in banned or unregistered agricultural and livestock products.

Those who fail to report such products to the authorities will face a maximum fine of 10 million won ($7,821), according to the ministry.

"We ask people to refrain from visiting farms in foreign nations and bringing in food and other livestock products here. We will thoroughly implement stronger quarantine steps," a ministry official said.

Korea has had around 300 ASF cases this year, which has shown signs of letting up in recent weeks. Some 63 nations have reported ASF outbreaks, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, India and Indonesia, the ministry said.

ASF does not affect humans but is deadly to pigs. No vaccine or cure for the disease is available.

Beginning May, Korea is seeking to raise the number of weekly international flights to restore them to 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

Currently, the number of inbound and outbound international flights comes to about 530 per week, about 10 percent of the level before the pandemic. (Yonhap)

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