The number of imported cases of COVID-19 in South Korea continue to rise despite the government’s rigorous quarantine measures. 

On Wednesday, the first day of the government’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for travelers entering the country, 18 people were confirmed to be infected with novel coronavirus during inspection, accounting for some 20 percent of total new cases reported for the day. 

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the imported case count hit 601 as of 12 a.m. Thursday, up 41 from the day before.  

This week has seen the number of cases coming from overseas rise between 40 and 60 every day.  

When the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country, most imported cases involved people coming from China and other parts of Asia, but now it's travelers arriving from all parts of the world. A large number of recent imported cases were related to people who entered the country from the Americas. This week, 57 arrivals from Europe and 69 people from the Americas tested positive for COVID-19 as of 12 a.m. Thursday.