US Embassy to suspend visa interviews as precaution against coronavirus

The US Embassy in Seoul said Wednesday that it will suspend all routine visa interviews this week in line with a State Department measure to respond to the new coronavirus outbreaks.

The measure, set to take effect on Thursday, will not affect the visa waiver program for Korean citizens or services for US citizens, the embassy said.

"The US Embassy to the Republic of Korea will cancel all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments as of March 19, 2020," the embassy said in a press release.

The State Department is suspending routine visa services in all countries with a level 2, 3 or 4 travel advisory, the embassy said.

Last month, the department raised its travel advisory for Daegu, South Korea's southeastern city hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, to Level 4 on a four-tier scale, urging Americans not to travel there. The rest of the country remains under Level 3, which means "reconsider travel."

The embassy said that it will resume routine visa services "as soon as possible," although it is unable to provide a specific date of the resumption.

On Wednesday, South Korea reported 93 new infections in its daily tally, bringing the total to 8,413 with the death toll at 84. (Yonhap)