Korea to widen travel ban in Congo to 3 provinces over Ebola outbreak

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday it will widen a travel ban in Congo to three provinces in the country amid the spread of Ebola virus disease.

Effective 2 p.m. Friday, Korea will issue a Level 4 travel alert, the highest level in its four-tier travel alert system, for Ituri Province in the African country due to the continued rise in deaths linked to the virus, according to the ministry.

With the latest measure, the number of no-travel zones in Congo will expand to three provinces — Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. Korean nationals who visit or stay in those areas without exceptional passport-use authorization may face punishment under the passport law, it added.

In addition, the ministry has issued a Level 3 alert recommending departure from areas within 50 kilometers (31 miles) of the border with the Central African Republic, as well as seven other provinces in Congo, including Bas-Uele and Haut-Uele.

A special travel advisory remains in place for the rest of the African nation, it added.

On Thursday, the ministry issued a special travel advisory for all of Uganda after the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency designated Congo, Uganda and South Sudan as priority quarantine management countries for Ebola.

The number of Ebola infections in eastern Congo has been rising rapidly, leading to more than 160 suspected deaths, according to local reports.

Yonhap