Authorities "Mandatory Use of Private Cars and Quarantine Transport Networks for Overseas Arrivals... Responding to Omicron"

"CES-Origin Domestic COVID-19 Cases Increase to 119"

Inspection center set up in the west side outdoor area on B1 floor of Terminal 2, Incheon International Airport / Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The quarantine authorities are further strengthening the management of overseas arrivals in response to the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

On the afternoon of the 13th, Kim Ginam, head of the Vaccination Management Division of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, stated at a regular briefing, "The number of confirmed cases from overseas arrivals and the domestic detection rate of the Omicron variant have been increasing recently."

According to the quarantine authorities, among the total 886 confirmed cases from overseas arrivals last week, 781 cases (88.1%) were of the Omicron variant. The domestic detection rate of the Omicron variant also recorded double digits for the first time at 12.5%.

In particular, a total of 119 cases of COVID-19 infection have been confirmed so far among those who attended the recently concluded 'CES 2022' in the United States. This event, attended by many domestic company officials, shortened its schedule by one day and closed on the 7th (local time) due to the spread of the Omicron variant and other factors. Kim said, "Considering the high Omicron detection rate in the United States (98.3%), it can be assumed that most of the confirmed cases are Omicron infections."

In this regard, the quarantine authorities will take additional measures to manage overseas arrivals. Starting from the 20th, all arrivals must move only via quarantine transportation networks such as private cars, quarantine buses, quarantine trains, and quarantine taxis. To this end, the government will increase the currently operating quarantine transportation network by raising the daily operation frequency of quarantine buses from 78 to 89 trips. Existing quarantine trains and quarantine taxis will continue to operate, and if necessary, additional KTX exclusive cars will also be added.

The submission criteria for pre-arrival PCR test negative certificates will also become stricter from the 20th. The previous requirement of testing within 72 hours before departure will be shortened to 48 hours. This aims to verify a more up-to-date health status by allowing boarding immediately after the issuance of the negative certificate.

The flight circuit breaker will also continue to be activated. This system restricts flights carrying three or more confirmed foreign cases from entering the country for one week. In such cases, regular flights are limited to 60% seat occupancy, and irregular flights are not permitted to operate. Since the 15th of last month, it has been activated 24 times for 16 routes from 11 countries including the United States and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, regarding adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines, the Vaccination Injury Compensation Expert Committee (Compensation Committee) has confirmed that it has made 3,841 compensation decisions so far. This accounts for 39% of the cumulative 9,840 cases reviewed.

Among the cumulative 107.05 million vaccinations, about 420,000 adverse reaction reports were filed (reporting rate of 0.4%). Approximately 96.3% of the reported cases were general adverse reactions such as muscle pain and headaches. The reporting rate of adverse reactions after the third dose is 0.13%, which is lower than that of the first and second doses.

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