Foreigners from the Philippines and Uzbekistan Also Require Negative COVID-19 Test Certificates... Expanded to 6 Countries from the 20th

Government Adds Philippines and Uzbekistan to Enhanced Quarantine Countries
Visa and Flight Restrictions with Negative COVID PCR Test Required

Arrivals are receiving guidance from officials at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Starting from the 20th, foreigners intending to enter South Korea from the Philippines and Uzbekistan must undergo a COVID-19 diagnostic test at a local medical institution around the time of departure and obtain a negative certificate. As the South Korean government designated these countries as subject to strengthened quarantine measures, travelers are required to carry a negative certificate either when departing locally or upon entering the country. Previously, from the 13th, this measure applied to foreigners entering from four countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and now two more countries have been added, bringing the total to six.

According to announcements made on the 19th by South Korean embassies in each country, travelers must have a COVID-19 PCR negative certificate issued within 48 hours prior to the flight departure date. This certificate is required when issuing the airline ticket locally or during the immigration process upon arrival in South Korea. The PCR diagnostic test involves collecting a specimen, placing it in specialized equipment, and undergoing an amplification process, which is the only method used domestically to determine infection status.

The designation of countries subject to strengthened quarantine measures is not based on diplomatic reciprocity, so the South Korean government does not disclose the specific countries. This is a unilateral measure taken by the government to prevent the domestic inflow of COVID-19. In addition to the negative certificate, measures include limiting the seat occupancy rate of regular flights to 60% or less and suspending irregular flights, thereby imposing overall restrictions on visas and air travel.

Medical Partners Korea (MPK), a Korean overseas medical business specialist company that entered the local market in 2018 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, has been selected by the local Ministry of Health as a nationally designated specialized testing institution for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and has been conducting large-scale testing, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute branch in Almaty reported on the 28th (local time). <이미지:연합뉴스>

Over 58% of Imported Cases in Two Weeks
'Foreigners > Nationals'... Cases Testing Positive Despite Negative Certificates

As the spread of COVID-19 continues steadily worldwide, some countries have eased movement restrictions citing economic downturns, increasing the possibility of domestic inflow. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, in the recent two weeks (July 6?19), there were 657 confirmed cases domestically, of which 381 are estimated to be imported cases, accounting for 58% of the total. Notably, during March and April when imported cases were high, most were South Korean nationals such as students studying abroad or expatriates, but recently, the number of foreigners has increased significantly due to domestic industrial demand.

Based on the recent two-week period, foreigners account for about 65% of all confirmed cases, roughly two out of three. For imported cases, symptoms are assessed from the quarantine stage upon entry, and regardless of symptoms, a two-week quarantine is enforced, making the possibility of spreading infectious diseases domestically extremely low. However, there is a burden on domestic medical personnel.

Medical staff are busy moving at the screening clinic set up at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

There have been cases where travelers brought negative certificates from abroad but tested positive again during testing in South Korea. According to the government, 17 people who entered from the four countries subject to strengthened quarantine measures on the 13th were confirmed positive. Kazakhstan accounted for 14 cases, the highest number, with Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan each having one case. It is presumed that these individuals were infected after the diagnostic test, were asymptomatic, or had a low viral load in the early stage of infection, which was not detected during testing.

In Bangladesh, there was an incident where a local medical institution was caught issuing fake negative certificates. The government believes that even if the reliability of PCR tests at local medical institutions is questionable, requiring re-testing after entry into South Korea will minimize the risk of domestic inflow. The government also stated that if test results from a specific country consistently prove unreliable, they will consider separate measures such as changing medical institutions.

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