The foreign ministry said Friday it has extended for another month the special travel warning advising citizens against overseas trips amid continuing coronavirus fears.

The re-issuance of the special travel watch will be valid until July 19, unless a further extension is made, the ministry said in a release. The government has extended the travel watch twice since it was first announced in March.

The special travel warning applies to all countries except those that are already under higher alerts that call for a withdrawal of citizens or that are subject to a travel ban.

It also calls for people who are staying outside of Korea to take extra safety precautions.

The extension was decided on because the COVID-19 virus is still spreading despite global efforts to stem the highly infectious disease, with a significant rise in caseloads being reported in many countries despite lockdowns and border closures, the ministry said.

The special advisory is separate from the general travel alert system that comes in a four-level scale.

Seoul has issued a blue travel alert, meaning to take caution, for all countries not previously affected by travel warnings due to the global spread of the novel virus. (Yonhap)