Authorities: "From the 13th, all arrivals from the US must undergo COVID-19 testing within 3 days" (Update)

Overseas arrivals are waiting for dedicated airport buses at the arrival hall of Terminal 1, Incheon International Airport. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Starting from the 13th, all domestic and foreign nationals entering the United States must undergo a diagnostic test for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Currently, tests are conducted after self-quarantine if symptoms such as fever or cough appear, but from now on, tests will be required regardless of symptoms.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 12th the strengthened management measures for arrivals from the United States, which include these details. This measure is at the same level as the one applied to arrivals from Europe starting from the 22nd of last month. It applies to domestic nationals and long-term foreign residents entering from the United States after 0:00 on the 13th. Due to the recent increase in confirmed cases among domestic and foreign nationals arriving from the United States, the scope of testing has been expanded, requiring a diagnostic test within three days during self-quarantine.

According to the Disease Control Headquarters, among 459 overseas imported cases in the past two weeks, 228 (49.7%) came from the United States, which is nearly half. Initially, most arrivals were from China and other Asian regions, but later cases increased from Europe, and recently, the number of cases imported from the United States has been rising. So far, among domestic patients, there have been a total of 912 overseas imported cases, with 343 patients from the United States, accounting for 37.6%.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, explained at a briefing that "the proportion of confirmed cases among arrivals from the United States continues to increase, and the community risk level in the United States itself is rising," adding, "we judged that the infection risk for arrivals from the United States has increased further and decided to implement additional measures."

Some local governments, including Seoul, are conducting COVID-19 diagnostic tests for all arrivals from overseas. With the government mandating tests for all arrivals from the United States, the central government will bear the cost of testing going forward.

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