While Guam is seeking federal help in the face of the coronavirus threat, South Korea, the island's leading tourist market, is on its highest alert due to seven coronavirus deaths and more than 700 confirmed cases.

The U.S. State Departmentover the weekend issued a level two, out of four, travel advisory to South Korea, urging travelers "exercise increased caution" due to the outbreak.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday, Feb. 23 raised the country's virus alert level to red, the highest in its four-tier system, for the first time in more than a decade, USA TODAY reported. Schools will be closed until March 9, and the government now has greater power to restrict travel.

South Korea has the largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases outside of China, with 736 cases as of Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Korea. The majority of these cases are new, reported in a surge over the weekend: 417 cases were confirmed just since Saturday.

Currently, foreign nationals who traveled to China within the last 14 days are denied entry into Guam and the rest of the U.S.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero's office has not stated if there will be a ban on foreign nationals coming from South Korea. Earlier this month, the government of Guam denied a State Department request to allow a cruise ship to dock on the island over concerns some passengers may be infected with coronavirus. The MS Westerdam, a British-American private cruise vessel, had 1,455 guests and 802 crew members.

There are no coronavirus cases on Guam.

Guam's Department of Health and Social Services is still waiting for coronavirus test kits from the CDC to arrive, and it may take up to two months for Guam's airport to procure thermal scanners to detect potentially ill incoming passengers, according to a letter from Speaker Tina Muña Barnes.

Federal funding requested

Barnes sent letters on Monday, Feb. 24 to President Donald Trump, Del. Michael San Nicolas and Rear Adm. John Menoni, Joint Region Marianas commander, seeking collaboration to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

Barnes wrote to Trump to include Guam in upcoming legislation to Congress requesting emergency funding to combat the outbreak.

"It was brought to my attention that this administration will be submitting legislation to request emergency funding to fight the COVID-19 outbreak," her letter to Trump stated. "We are watching closely as to how our federal government is handling this outbreak and hope the implementation for effective prevention and control measures will be in place for our remote island."

Barnes highlighted "Guam's strategic location," the presence of two military installations, Compact of Free Association migrants and local families as further consideration to prioritize the health of the island.

Barnes' letter to San Nicolas requested his advocacy on the legislation, and her letter to Menoni inquired about Joint Region Marianas' coronavirus prevention efforts.

67 suspended flights

Meanwhile, Guam will see 67 fewer flights in coming days, as three Korean airlines have suspended some services citing the coronavirus outbreak.

Jeju Air canceled 10 flights for the remainder of February, according to Rolenda Faasuamalie, Guam International Airport Authority marketing administrator. The airline canceled four Incheon, South Korea, flights and six Muan, South Korea, flights between Feb. 22 and March 1.

Korean Air suspended 27 flights for Incheon, and Jin Air suspended 13 flights for Busan and 17 for Incheon for the remainder of this month as well.

This decrease in tourism prompted Guam Restaurant and Hotel Association President Mary Rhodes to urge businesses to expect and prepare for a downturn. This means looking at internal processes, and determining how to increase efficiency. Layoffs and cut hours should be the last resort, she said last week during an industry forum.

"It's going to be tight, there are going to be decisions made," Rhodes said. "Projections for the next three months aren't great. We have to be realistic on what we can manage."

More:$9.1M in lost economic revenue due to coronavirus outbreak, no clear timeline for recovery

15,000 tourist cancellations

The most recent count of tourist cancellations, from last week, was at 15,139, according to the Guam Visitors Bureau. The bureau has reported more than $9.1 million in loss from February through April, said Pilar Laguaña, bureau CEO and president.

Most cancellations entail packages for flights, hotels and optional tours. Travel agents have been re-booking cancellations from Korea in the latter part of spring and the summer, according to Laguaña.

According to the World Health Organization, as of Sunday, there were 78,811 confirmed cases globally, with the majority in China and 1,769 confirmed cases in 28 other countries.

Reporter Anumita Kaur covers military, business and tourism on Guam. Follow her on Twitter @anumitakaur. Reach her at akaur@guampdn.com.