Israel & South Korea advise citizens not to travel to S'pore due to coronavirus outbreak

More countries are aware of the growing situation in Singapore.

Sulaiman Daud | February 11, 2020, 06:16 PM

Israel and South Korea, along with Qatar and Kuwait, have advised its citizens to reconsider travelling to Singapore in light of the ongoing novel coronavirus (nCoV) situation here.

Israel's advisory

In addition to Singapore, a Feb. 9 news release on Israel's Ministry of Health website published a list of other countries and regions which Israelis should reconsider their travel plans:

  • Thailand
  • Japan
  • Hong Kong
  • Macau
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan

This is in addition to Israel's existing travel warning for China.

The ministry has also expanded its definition of a suspected infection, so as to run tests on more people who are returning from the aforementioned countries.

It includes people who have:

  • Come into close contact with someone with a confirmed case of the virus.
  • Stayed in any of the above countries, and exhibits a fever over 38°C (100.4F), coughing, difficulty breathing or any other respiratory symptom within 14 days of coming into contact with a confirmed patient.

Home quarantine is also required for anyone who has arrived from China, fewer than 14 days ago.

South Korea

South Korean media outlet Yonhap News Agency also reported on Feb. 11 that the Korean government has "strongly advised" its nationals to avoid travelling to Singapore.

The other countries Korea advised against travelling to include Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

It has stricter travel restrictions for Wuhan in Hubei Province, China, as well as the rest of China, including Hong Kong and Macau.

Top Photo by Sander Crombach on Unsplash