South Korea expanded its entry ban to two additional African countries on Wednesday amid growing concerns over the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant.

From Friday to next Thursday, short-term foreign arrivals from Ghana and Zambia will be banned.

South Korean nationals and long-term foreign arrivals from these countries will face a mandatory 10-day quarantine, regardless of their Covid-19 vaccination status, Yonhap news agency reported.

Effective November 28, South Korea had earlier banned foreign entries from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and Nigeria. So far, South Korea has confirmed 38 omicron cases.