The presidential office said it would be impractical to fully ban the entry of Chinese nationals into the country to block the spread of COVID-19. 

Currently, South Korea is banning the entry of foreigners only from China's Hubei Province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, instead of the entire country. 

Presidential office spokesperson Kang Min-seok told reporters on Thursday that the government has decided not to fully ban such entries after it took into account the practical aspect of quarantine efforts and the interests of the people. 

Kang added that the government’s special steps implemented from February 4 for people entering the nation from China are working efficiently.  

Since the steps were put into place, according to Kang, no person who entered from the country has been confirmed to be infected, thus fully banning the entry of Chinese nationals would be impractical.  

The spokesperson also noted that the number of Chinese entering South Korea has dipped in recent days while the number of South Koreans departing for China had nearly doubled. 

As for other reasons for not seeking a full ban, Kang cited the sharp drop in the number of infections in China and the fact that the measures are in accordance with the World Health Organization’s guidelines on responding to infectious diseases.