Fully vaccinated people will be able to travel to Saipan (pictured) from the end of July. This is the first time that South Koreans will be able to freely travel to another country without a separate quarantine period since the outbreak of COVID-19.

On June 29, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced, “On June 30, we will sign a travel bubble agreement with Saipan.”

When the two countries sign the agreement, citizens of the two states and families will be able to travel to the two locations without a separate quarantine period as long as they have finished receiving COVID-19 vaccines approved by health authorities. However, they must be part of a tourist group, fully vaccinated two weeks prior to the trip. They must also have a vaccination certificate issued by the health authority of their country and have a document confirming that they tested negative in a COVID-19 test conducted within 72 hours before departure. On the day of their arrival, they will undergo another COVID-19 test and they will be able to enjoy their trip after authorities confirm negative test results.

The land ministry said, “The Saipan government prepared a variety of disease control measures for the safety of South Korean tourists, such as designating accommodations exclusive to the travel bubble, assigning staff who have been fully vaccinated, and preparing the use of local routes with authorities securing disease control safety prior to the trip.” The ministry also explained, “Tourists will be able to travel as early as the end of July after local authorities conduct a prior inspection of disease control measures and undergo a preparatory period.”

On June 6, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced that they would allow group tours for people who have been fully vaccinated after discussions with countries where disease control was in a stable state beginning July. Saipan was the first travel bubble designated in such discussions. As of this day, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Saipan was 183, and nearly 63% of the population are fully vaccinated.