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US State Dept. issues travel advisory over coronavirus fears in South Korea

Posted at 11:22 PM, Feb 24, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-24 23:22:30-05

The U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory on Monday for those planning trips to South Korea. The advisory is considered a "Level 2" advisory, on a scale from Level 1 to Level 4.

A Level 2 advisory encourages travelers to "exercise increased caution" before going to the region.

"Many cases of COVID-19 have been associated with travel to or from mainland China or close contact with a travel-related case, but sustained community spread has been reported in South Korea," the State Department said. "Sustained community spread means that people in South Korea have been infected with the virus, but how or where they became infected is not known, and the spread is ongoing."

The Associated Press has reported a total of 893 cases of coronavirus in South Korea.

Last month, the State Department issued a Level 4, or "do not travel" advisory for those making trips to China.