Seoul, Mar 29 (IANS): South Korea will enforce a two-week mandatory coronavirus quarantine for all entrants from overseas starting from Wednesday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Sunday, amid a steady inflow of imported infections.

All arrivals to the country, regardless of their nationality, should stay in quarantine, Yonhap News Agency quoted the Prime Minister as saying during a government meeting on the pandemic.

Visitors without local addresses here should stay in government-designated facilities at their own expense, he added.

"The government has strengthened quarantine measures on entrants from Europe and the US, but considering the unprecedented speed the virus is spreading globally, we need additional measures," Chung said.

South Korea has been already enforcing both a two-week quarantine period and virus tests for all long-term arrivals from Europe, regardless of symptoms.

Arrivalson from the US were also required to self-isolate at home for two weeks.

"In order to effectively prevent entry to the country for unimportant purposes, such as travel, we will expand the compulsory quarantine measure to all foreigners coming in for short stays too," he said.

South Korea reported 105 new cases of the coronavirus Sunday, bringing the nation's total to 9,583, including 152 deaths, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Of the new cases, 41 involved entrants from overseas -- 23 from Europe, 14 from the Americas and four from unidentified Asian countries.

Accounting for 4.3 per cent of the total, 412 imported cases have been reported so far, according to health authorities.