To combat Omicron, all arrivals need to self-isolate for 10 days

Passengers arriving from the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa enter Incheon International Airport on Wednesday afternoon. [NEWS1]

Starting Friday, all people entering Korea from overseas will have to self-quarantine for 10 days regardless of their vaccination status.

In addition, people coming from Nigeria are not allowed to enter Korea. It was added to a list of eight other countries in southern Africa.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters held a meeting Wednesday evening to discuss tighter immigration measures and additional measures to block the Omicron variant of Covid-19 from getting to Korea.

Starting from Friday, all international arrivals will be required to undergo mandatory quarantine for 10 days regardless of whether they are vaccinated. That will be in effect for the next two weeks, or until Dec. 16.

Korean nationals and foreigners on long-term visas will be allowed to self-isolate at home, while foreigners on short-term visas will have quarantine at a temporary facility designated by the government. During this period, they must take a total of three Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests — before entry, on the first day after entry, and before their release from quarantine.

The government will also apply stricter rules for quarantine exemptions and only issue them for special reasons, such as attending a funeral or public service. Previous exemptions for immediate family visits or business purposes will not be allowed.

From Friday, Korea will close its borders to Nigeria along with eight other African nations — South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Mozambique and Malawi.

On late Wednesday night, Korea confirmed its first five cases of the Omicron variant, including a fully vaccinated Korean couple who tested positive for the strain after arriving from Nigeria, followed by their acquaintance and two other women in their 50s who arrived from Nigeria.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]