Government: "Measures for Entrants from China Prioritize Public Health... China Has Not Released Statistics"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] As China has suspended the issuance of short-term visas for Koreans in response to the South Korean government's high-intensity quarantine measures, the quarantine authorities stated on the 11th that "the strengthened quarantine measures for arrivals from China were made based on objective and scientific evidence" and that "the decision was made to prioritize the health and safety of the public above all else."

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), from the 2nd to the 7th, the six days since the implementation of strengthened quarantine measures against China, a total of 6,396 people arrived in South Korea from China. Among them, 5,617 were tested, and 1,100 tested positive. The overall positivity rate among all arrivals from China, including long- and short-term foreign residents and Korean nationals arriving from China, was 19.6%. Considering that one out of five people arriving from China was confirmed positive, it indicates that the COVID-19 situation in China is still ongoing. On the 4th, the positivity rate among short-term foreign visitors from China even surged to 31.8% (106 confirmed cases out of 333 tested).

The quarantine authorities emphasized that since the Chinese government has recently not been sharing COVID-19 statistics with the international community, the strengthened quarantine measures for arrivals were unavoidable. The government is implementing measures such as pre- and post-arrival testing for arrivals from China, suspension of short-term visa issuance, and suspension of additional flights to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and variants originating in China. In response, China abruptly announced on the 10th the suspension of short-term visa issuance for Koreans visiting China.

Im Sook-young, the CDCH Situation General Manager, said at a regular COVID-19 briefing, "We understand that the COVID-19 situation in China is worsening," adding, "The quarantine authorities must consider concerns about new variants arising from this large-scale outbreak. South Korea is the country closest to China." She continued, "It is necessary to continuously monitor overseas epidemic situations, domestic epidemic situations, and new variant trends," and stated, "We will accurately monitor these and continuously review and maintain measures based on the results."

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