The US State Department has raised its travel advisory levels for Japan and South Korea following a spike in coronavirus cases in both countries.
On Sunday, South Korean officials raised its alert level for the novel coronavirus to “highest” as confirmed cases continue to rise at an alarming rate.
According to an ABC News report, South Korea reported more than 200 new virus cases on Sunday. As of Monday, health officials updated its numbers — with confirmed cases at more than 600.
The director of the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided updates on Sunday.
Jeong Eun-kyung, Director of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said among the newly confirmed cases were 18 people who had toured Israel and the West Bank on a group pilgrimage. It is not clear whether they were infected while in Israel, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the State Department warns travelers to exercise increased caution due to an outbreak of COVID-19 and to follow the Centers for Disease Control’s guidelines for the prevention of the disease.
So far, more than 77,000 coronavirus cases of coronavirus have been reported around the world.
##
