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| An employee from a disinfection service company sanitizes the floor of a traditional market in Seoul, Monday. Reuters |
By Jung Min-ho
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its travel advisory for Korea to the highest level Tuesday (KST) after the number of coronavirus cases in Korea surged past 800.
The Level 3 warning means U.S. citizens should avoid all nonessential travel to Korea, where the COVID-19 virus has killed eight people and infected nearly 900 as of Tuesday morning.
"There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas," the CDC said. "This new coronavirus has caused severe disease and death in patients who developed pneumonia. Risk factors for severe illness are not yet clear, although older adults and those with chronic medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness."
The move comes only two days after the CDC issued a Level 2 advisory, urging all travelers to take "enhanced precautions" in Korea.
United Airlines and Delta Air Lines put South Korea on a travel waiver list over the outbreak, allowing passengers bound for the country to change their flights without paying a fee.
On the same day, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said its officials are preparing for a potential pandemic.
"Does this virus have unlimited potential? Absolutely," Ghebreyesus told reporters during a briefing. "For the moment, we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus and we are not witnessing large-scale severe disease or death."
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