South Korea to require 10-day quarantine for all inbound travelers starting Friday

South Korea will require a 10-day quarantine for all inbound travelers for two weeks starting Friday (Dec. 3), halting exemptions given earlier to fully vaccinated people, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Foreigners who are staying in South Korea for a short period of time are required to stay in a temporary living facility provided by the South Korean government for 10 days. South Korean returnees and foreign nationals who have been living in South Korea for a long period of time are allowed to stay at home for 10 days and are required to undergo three COVID-19 nucleic acid tests in total, including before entering the country, on the first day of entry and before the end of the quarantine period.

The measure came after South Korea confirmed its first five cases of the Omicron variant late on Wednesday, including a fully vaccinated couple who arrived last week from Nigeria, followed by two of their family members and a friend.

The government is restricting arrivals from eight countries including South Africa, where the variant was first identified. It will now add Nigeria to the list, effective Friday, while suspending direct flights from Ethiopia starting Saturday, the KDCA said.

The KDCA reported 5,266 cases for Wednesday, a day after the daily tally rose above 5,000 for the first time amid concerns over a sharp rise in patients with severe symptoms.