ABU DHABI // South Korean expatriates say they are afraid to return home because of the Mers outbreak there that has infected thousands.
While the World Health Organisation has not recommended any travel restrictions or entry screening related to the virus, South Koreans say they are still concerned about infection.
Wooyoung Kim, 46, owner of Hyu Korean Restaurant in Dubai, said because all known cases of Mers had previously been linked to the Middle East, his family were worried about him living here. But now that has changed.
“My family were worried about me because there were cases of Mers here, but now I am worrying about my parents in Korea,” he said.
Mr Kim has houses in Dubai and Seoul and regularly travels between the two, but because of the situation in South Korea he prefers to stay here.
Michelle You, an advertising executive, from Busan, also feels there is a fear of travel between South Korea and the Middle East.
“The general sentiment in the Korean community is that we should not go home at present,” said the 29-year-old. “I have my family back home in South Korea. Though they haven’t told me not to come back, I wouldn’t choose to go there at this time.
“They are scared about people coming from the Middle East. People are scared because they don’t know what exactly is going on.”
She believes that UAE is “definitely not on the list of preferred destinations for travel” for South Koreans at present.
South Korea has reported the second-biggest outbreak of Mers outside Saudi Arabia, where it was first seen in 2012, which has been spreading since a 68-year-old man took it home from a trip to several Middle Eastern countries, including the UAE, last month.
To date, there have been 108 confirmed cases of Mers reported in South Korean citizens so far, with nine deaths, and more than 3,000 people have been quarantined. The vast majority of cases are hospital clusters. Dr Ulrich Wernery, a director of the central veterinary research laboratory in Dubai, who has carried out research on Mers, said people should not fear travelling between the two countries.
“Of course it is a disaster for the country but as travel is concerned you should not be worried because it is mainly in hospitals,” he said. “It is not in streets or in malls.
“So maybe people should be a little bit cautious going to hospitals but that is that.”
However, the outbreak has highlighted the need for more aggressive research on how Mers is transmitted, he said.
Travel agents across the Emirates said the outbreak had no effect on holiday bookings to South Korea.
Omeir Travel Agency, one of the largest travel management companies in UAE, said it had not had any flight or holiday cancellations to South Korea.
Similarly, a spokeswoman for Al Rais Travel Agency, one of the largest independent travel agencies in the UAE, said, to date, it had no record of anyone cancelling a trip to South Korea.
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