<Anchor> In



order to prevent the spread of Omicron mutation, several countries have started locking their doors. The first thing to do is to block them from coming from South Africa. Our government is now holding an emergency meeting on Saturday night.



Continuing to be reporter Kim A-young.



<Reporter>



People waiting for departure are gathered at Cape Town International Airport, the capital of South Africa.



These are the people who decided to leave the country in a hurry as countries surprised by the spread of Omicron tried to control entry from South Africa one after another.



[Julie: My family lives in Australia, and I plan to go with them before they get controlled. I had to quit my job because I didn't know when I would come back.] The



European Union, with health experts from 27 member countries, has agreed to issue emergency brakes restricting entry into the EU from South Africa.



Seven countries in South Africa, including South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique, are covered.



[Ursula von der Leyen/EU Commission President: All air travel to these countries should be suspended. It must be stopped until we have a clear understanding of the risks posed by the new mutation.] The



United States has also decided to restrict travel to eight African countries starting on the 29th.



[Joe Biden/President of the United States: We don't know much about the mutant virus other than that it is very concerned and seems to be spreading rapidly.]



South Africa protested that the ban on entry before the WHO recommendation was unreasonable, but Asian countries such as Singapore, India, Japan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, as well as countries in the Middle East and South America, are starting to control borders on South Africa and neighboring countries one after another.



The global stock market and international oil prices plunged at the same time on the fear of Omicron.



Our quarantine authorities said that omicron mutations have not yet been found in Korea, and we plan to announce a response plan shortly after meeting with relevant ministries.



(Video editing: So Ji-hye)