If You Don’t Install the Health Check App When Coming from China, You Cannot Enter the Country

On the 4th, passengers arriving on flights from China are entering through a dedicated immigration area at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1, wearing masks. / Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Starting from the 12th, all domestic and foreign nationals entering South Korea from China must install an application (app) that monitors their health status daily. This measure aims to prevent the domestic inflow and community spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia). Entry will be denied to those who do not install the app.

Kim Kang-lip, Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, stated at a briefing on the 10th, "This app was developed to monitor daily symptoms of entrants from China and to provide prompt consultation and guidance if symptoms occur." He added, "The app enables special quarantine reporting and includes a function to submit self-diagnosis results to the local health center and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Additionally, the app provides contact information for screening clinics that can confirm novel coronavirus infection status, as well as information related to the KCDC consultation call center (1339). After a pilot operation until the 11th, the app will be applied immediately to entrants arriving after midnight on the 12th. Every day at 10 a.m., users will receive a text message and an alarm prompting them to input symptoms such as fever or respiratory issues. If no input is made, a reminder will be sent between 2 and 4 p.m.

If no input is received by midnight the following day, the list of non-respondents will be reported to related agencies such as the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, and from the third day, phone contact will be made. If contact still cannot be established, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, local governments, and police will be notified to locate the individual. This system facilitates easier health monitoring after entry, following the establishment of special entry procedures for arrivals from China. It was developed to actively track entrants after cases emerged where symptoms appeared or confirmed diagnoses were made several days post-entry, having bypassed airport or port quarantine.

Entry will be denied if the app is not installed. Deputy Head Kim said, "We plan to provide guidance before departure from China so that the app can be installed locally if possible," and added, "If the app is not installed even during the special entry procedures upon arrival in Korea, entry will likely be denied."

However, for those without smartphones, users of 2G phones, or elderly individuals unfamiliar with smartphone use, their names will be handed over to a team that can verify health status via phone calls. Short-term travelers entering for less than three days will be excluded from management after their names are received through the Ministry of Justice.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.