Seoul, May 22 (IANS) The foreign ministry said on Friday it will widen a travel ban in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to three provinces in the country amid the spread of Ebola virus disease.

Effective 2 pm Friday, South Korea will issue a Level 4 travel alert, the highest level in its four-tier travel alert system, for Ituri Province in the African country due to the continued rise in deaths linked to the virus, according to the ministry, reports Yonhap news agency.

With the latest measure, the number of no-travel zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo will expand to three provinces — Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. South Korean nationals who visit or stay in those areas without exceptional passport-use authorisation may face punishment under the passport law, it added.

In addition, the ministry has issued a Level 3 alert recommending departure from areas within 50 kilometers of the border with the Central African Republic, as well as seven other provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including Bas-Uele and Haut-Uele.

A special travel advisory remains in place for the rest of the African nation, it added.

On Thursday, the ministry issued a special travel advisory for all of Uganda after the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency designated the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan as priority quarantine management countries for Ebola.

The ministry said it will continue monitoring the outbreak and review whether additional travel warning adjustments are necessary.

The number of Ebola infections in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has been rising rapidly, leading to more than 160 suspected deaths, according to foreign media reports.

—IANS

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