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| People walk out of the arrivals gate at Incheon International Airport, Friday. Korea is set to impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on all visitors from China. Yonhap |
Gov't to restrict visas and numbers of flights due to variant fears
By Jung Min-ho
Korea will impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on all visitors from China, joining several other countries strengthening border controls, due to fears of variant strains after Beijing's decision earlier this month to abandon its "zero-COVID" policy.
From Jan. 5, all travelers from China will be required to present a negative result from a PCR test, no more than 48 hours later or a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours before departure. They will also have to take another PCR test upon arrival or within 24 hours.
To restrict the number of visitors coming from China, which has recently stopped publishing daily updates on the pandemic, Korea will not issue short-term visas for those visiting Korea unless it is for diplomatic, business and humanitarian reasons ― between Jan. 2 and 31.
Moreover, the number of flights between the two countries will stay below the current level (5 percent of pre-pandemic levels) until further notice, and the planes will be allowed to enter only through Incheon International Airport.
Those confirmed to have been infected will be isolated in quarantine facilities for a week.
The costs for PCR tests as well as using quarantine facilities will be paid for by visitors.
"The government is inevitably strengthening anti-virus measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Korea because of the worsening situation in China," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during a meeting at the government complex in Seoul Friday. "If the number of new cases from overseas increases drastically or a new variant is found, the government will take stronger measures while monitoring the situation closely."
There has been a surge in new cases from China in December. According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number until Dec. 29 was 278 from just 19 the previous month.
The Omicron subvariants ― BA. 5 and BA.2.75 ― and BF.7, a sub-lineage of BA.5, have been confirmed so far. Health officials are analyzing dozens of other suspected cases.
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| Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a meeting at government complex in Seoul, Friday. Newsis |
The move comes as hospitals and funeral facilities in China are being overwhelmed by an explosion of new infections following the Chinese government's sudden virus policy shift to lift draconian rules including lockdowns. It is unclear how serious the situation has become as it does not provide credible information to other countries.
As a result, an increasing number of countries, including the United States, Japan and Italy, have imposed restrictions on travelers from China, while others are reviewing whether such steps are necessary.
The developing situation may delay the Korean government's plan to ease indoor mask rules, Han said.
"The strengthened rules are expected to cause inconvenience to visitors from China. But they are unavoidable measures to minimize the spread and stabilize the virus situation here. We ask for your cooperation," he said.
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| A passenger airplane lands in Beijing Capital International Airport, Dec. 27. EPA-Yonhap |
Over half of Korean officials at diplomatic offices in China infected
More than 240 Korean officials working at the embassy and other diplomatic offices in China have been infected with COVID-19 over the past two weeks.
According to government documents obtained by Rep. Lee Jae-jung of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), about 63 percent of the total 380 Korean officials at the embassy and other diplomatic offices in China have contracted the virus. No serious cases have so far been reported, however.
A surge in new cases temporarily halted the operations of the Korean consulate generals in Chengdu and Shenyang.
In a statement, the prime minister urged the foreign ministry to pay extra attention to the safety of the Korean residents there while advising the public not to visit the country unless necessary.
