Positive Rate of Incoming Travelers from China at 1.2%... Government to Resume Short-Term Visa Issuance Starting Tomorrow

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] The COVID-19 positivity rate among arrivals who departed from China the previous day and were immediately tested at the airport was found to be 1.2%. The government has decided to resume issuing short-term visas to arrivals from China starting from the 11th, as it views the COVID-19 spread in China to have stabilized.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 10th, 250 short-term foreign visitors who arrived at Incheon International Airport from China on the 9th underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, with 3 (1.2%) testing positive. The government had implemented measures including mandatory COVID-19 PCR testing upon arrival and restrictions on issuing short-term visas to arrivals from China from the 2nd of last month until the end of this month, to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and variants in China on the domestic situation.

At one point, the positivity rate among short-term visitors tested at the airport soared above 30%, but recently it has been showing a positivity rate in the 0-1% range. Accordingly, the government has decided to lift early the restrictions on issuing short-term visas to arrivals from China, which were originally scheduled to end this month. However, COVID-19 testing before and after arrival will be maintained until the end of this month as planned, with phased easing to follow depending on future circumstances.

Since the mandatory COVID-19 testing for arrivals from China was implemented on the 2nd of last month, a total of 55,905 people have entered the country through airports from China. The cumulative positivity rate among short-term visitors tested at the airport has reached 7.4% (789 confirmed cases out of 10,621 tested).

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