South Korea to offer tourists free 'MERS insurance'

South Korea is in the midst of a health-care crisis, with 16 people dead and thousands under quarantine because of an outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). In recent days, the government has mounted an aggressive response, including undertaking tests on an experimental plasma treatment.

However, the issue isn't purely a medical one — it's also a social and, in turn, an economic one. As The Washington Post's Yoonjung Seo has pointed out, the panic about MERS may be just as damaging as the outbreak. People are staying out of public spaces, and that could mean a big loss for South Korea's tourism industry.

Thankfully, the government has a plan: MERS insurance.

According to the Korea Times, South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism is offering all tourists who enter the country free insurance that will cover all their medical and travel expenses should they catch the MERS virus on their trip.

The country will also provide hand sanitizers at tourist attractions, as well as a 24-hour toll-free number that concerned tourists can call, the Korea Times reported. The government is also taking the campaign online: The English-language Web site for the official "Visit Korea" tourism campaign contains a large pop-up that seeks to reassure tourists.

Will this be enough? The Strait Times reported that tourist arrivals dropped by 24.6 percent in the first 11 days of June, and South Korea could eventually lose about $900 million in tourism revenue if things don't improve. The government also announced Monday that it is planning to offer $64 million in loans to a number of troubled tourism sectors to help offset potential financial difficulties.

Some foreigners living in South Korea had complained of a lack of information from the government. "The [South Korean] government hasn't done anything to help foreigners," American Christopher Cashel Cordo told the Strait Times last week. Reports in the South Korean news media suggest that about 20 to 30 expatriates have been quarantined.

"We hope the measures will make foreign tourists feel that Korea is still a safe country to visit," Vice Minister Kim Jong said during a news conference on Monday.