Korea sharply toughens quarantine restrictions on Chinese arrivals

To minimize the impact of China’s worsening Covid-19 situation, the Korean government decided to strengthen quarantine measures.

Seoul will limit the number of short-term visa issuance and additional flights from China to Korea and make Covid-19 tests before and after entry into Korea mandatory from Jan. 2.

“The government will inevitably strengthen some quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus due to the worsening virus situation in China,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at a task force meeting on Friday. “Therefore, we decided it was necessary to restrict short-term travel to Korea until China’s quarantine situation stabilizes.”

According to the strengthened quarantine measures, the government will restrict the short-term visas issued by the Korean embassy in China for one month from Jan. 2-31. The embassy will only issue visas for diplomatic and official affairs, essential business operations, and humanitarian reasons. Officials said they might extend the visa restriction period depending on circumstances.

For efficient quarantine management of inbound travelers, the government will also allow inbound flights from China to arrive only at Incheon International Airport. Inbound flights arriving from China can land at Incheon, Gimhae, Daegu, and Jeju airports.

The government will maintain the number of flights from China, which is currently at a 5 percent capacity compared to pre-Covid-19 levels, but suspend any additional flights.

Besides, travelers arriving from China should undergo mandatory tests before and after entry into Korea for about two months until Feb. 28.

Short-term sojourners arriving from China should undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test immediately upon arrival and wait in a separate space until the test results come out.

Koreans or long-staying foreigners must undergo a test at the local public health center within one day of arrival and wait at home until the test results come out.

From Jan. 5, all Koreans and foreigners boarding flights from China will have to submit PCR test results within 48 hours or rapid antigen test results conducted by experts within 24 hours when boarding the aircraft.

However, considering the local situation, the government said it would waive the mandatory inspection for urgent cases.

The government will set up temporary home facilities in cities and provinces to manage confirmed cases among short-staying foreigners. If confirmed at the airport entry stage, travelers will stay in a separate temporary accommodation facility.

“We decided to minimize the risk in a situation where the possibility of a new variant occurring in Korea is increasing,” the government said. “Please minimize non-urgent visits to China and take essential preventive measures, such as vaccination for unavoidable visits.”

The strengthened quarantine measures follow China’s easing of immigration quarantine measures, such as suspending quarantine at facilities for entrants, despite the rapid spread of Covid-19 in the country.

Concerns are mounting that the spread of Covid-19 in China will spread to other countries, and many countries are taking measures to strengthen quarantine, making inspections after entry mandatory.

Korea has also recently seen an increase in inflow, with the number of confirmed cases coming in from China increasing from 19 in November to 278 in December.

As a result of genome genomic analysis of 41 recently imported confirmed cases from China, quarantine authorities have confirmed that all cases were Omicron subvariants, including 34 BA.5 cases, 6 BF.7 cases, and 1 BA.2.75 cases.

Suppose the number of confirmed cases imported from China increases significantly or the Korean government confirms a new variant emerging from China. In that case, the government will promptly review additional measures, such as quarantining entrants from China.

During the task force meeting, Prime Minister Han also announced that due to growing virus concerns from China, the government might have to delay lifting the mandatory indoor mask rules.

“If external circumstances lead to a resurgence in Korea, we decide to shelve the easing of the indoor mask rules after collecting expert opinions,” Han said. “There is a possibility that the lifting of indoor masks will come somewhat later than expected.”

On Friday, Korea added 65,207 new Covid-19 infections, including 68 cases from abroad, bringing the total caseload to 28,996,347, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The nation also reported 68 more Covid-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 32,095. The fatality rate stood at 0.11 percent. The number of critically ill patients came to 562, down 28 from the previous day, the KDCA said.