Japanese among Isolated Foreigners in S. Korea over MERS

Seoul, June 15 (Jiji Press)--About 20 to 30 foreigners in South Korea, including Japanese, have been isolated at home, not at medical institutions, over Middle East respiratory syndrome, the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday. The Japanese have already returned home and been reporting body temperatures to local health offices twice a day, sources familiar with the matter said. While briefing foreign journalists, the South Korean ministry did not unveil a specific number of isolated foreigners or a breakdown by nationality. A ministry official said the possibility that they are infected with the MERS coronavirus is very low, adding that they have been advised to check themselves at home for MERS symptoms. No foreigner has so far been infected with the virus, the official said. An official at the Japanese embassy in Seoul said that the embassy has received inquiries about several Japanese from the South Korean government. According to the South Korean ministry, the number of people infected with the virus in the country stood at 150 as of Monday, while 5,200 others are subject to seclusion for checks for any symptoms. All of the isolated foreigners are residents of South Korea, with no tourists among them. Many of them have visited hospitals where MERS infections had been confirmed, the ministry said. END