China Strengthens Management of Arrivals from Korea at Central Government Level

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] The Chinese government has announced strengthened entry management guidelines at the central government level to prevent the re-importation of COVID-19. This formalizes the previously local government-level measures for arrivals from Korea at the central government level.

According to the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, on the 2nd, at a press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office the previous day, Lin Wei, Director of the Health Quarantine Department of the General Administration of Customs, stated, "Strict '3 Checks (3sa), 3 Screenings (3bae), and 1 Transfer (1jeonun)' quarantine will be conducted for all inbound and outbound travelers."

'3 Checks (3sa)' means 100% health record declaration, comprehensive temperature screening, and thorough medical examination for all travelers. '3 Screenings (3bae)' refers to more stringent quarantine and investigation for symptomatic COVID-19 cases, arrivals from high-risk areas, and close contacts to block re-importation. '1 Transfer (1jeonun)' means confirmed cases, suspected cases, symptomatic individuals, and close contacts are uniformly classified according to regulations, isolated separately, and monitored through hospital testing and other measures.

Although no specific countries were mentioned, since Korea, Japan, and others are classified as high-risk countries, this announcement at the central government level implies that the Chinese government officially acknowledges the possibility of implementing strengthened testing and quarantine measures for arrivals from Korea.

However, China emphasized that these measures are intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and earnestly requested cooperation from all countries.

Chui Ai-min, Director of the Consular Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "China treats foreigners and its own citizens equally and will implement non-discriminatory measures," but added, "Reflecting the overseas COVID-19 situation, the Chinese government may timely adjust quarantine measures for foreign arrivals. As China’s epidemic prevention has already entered the most difficult stage, people coming to China from countries with severe COVID-19 outbreaks should understand this and actively cooperate."

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