Ambassador Jang Ha-sung Requests Beijing Government to Change Quarantine for Arrivals from Facility Isolation to Self-Quarantine

Photo by Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China

[Asia Economy Beijing=Correspondent Park Sun-mi] As Beijing City, China, decided to quarantine all incoming travelers at designated facilities for 14 days starting from the 16th to block reverse inflow of COVID-19, our government has requested the Beijing municipal government to change the facility quarantine to self-quarantine.

On the 16th, Jang Ha-sung, the Korean Ambassador to China, said at a press briefing regarding Beijing’s sudden decision to quarantine all arrivals at facilities, "We sent an official letter to the Beijing municipal government the day before," and added, "We have requested that those who have a residence be allowed to self-quarantine instead of 14 days of facility quarantine."

Ambassador Jang explained, "We are currently waiting for a response from the Beijing municipal government," and "We are sharing information about the current situation with other embassies and looking for countermeasures."

He pointed out that confusion and inconvenience among our nationals are increasing due to different inbound management and control measures by local governments, including Beijing, and stated that embassies and consulates general are actively working to improve the situation.

In particular, he explained that the government is focusing on requesting local authorities to ▲convert facility quarantine to self-quarantine, ▲support to prevent unfair discrimination in cases where quarantine at designated facilities is unavoidable, and ▲notify the government in advance of decisions on inbound management and control measures so that the government can respond accordingly.

While the Beijing municipal government has not yet provided a clear response to our government’s request, three flights from Korea to Beijing are scheduled for the day, putting Korean arrivals in a situation where they will be quarantined at designated hotels starting immediately.

According to industry sources, among the 130 passengers on the Air China flight scheduled to arrive at 2:20 PM (local time), 20 are Korean; among the 180 passengers on the Air China flight arriving at 7:20 PM, 7 are Korean; and among the 250 passengers on the Korean Air flight scheduled to arrive at 8:25 PM, 17 are expected to enter Beijing.

A diplomatic source said, "It has not yet been clearly announced which hotels will be used for quarantining arrivals in each area of Beijing," and added, "Since confusion is expected, consulate general officials are expected to be at the airport to assess the situation and respond accordingly." He added, "Our government has requested that, as in other regions, the cost of facility quarantine in Beijing be shifted from self-payment to being borne by Beijing City, but no decision has been made yet," and expressed concern that the facility quarantine measure for all arrivals in Beijing might spread to other regions.

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