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Korea to lift PCR test requirement on arrivals from China starting March
Kim Sung-ho, vice minister for disaster and safety management at the Ministry of Interior and Safety, speaks during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters held at the Government Complex in Sejong, Wednesday. During the meeting, the government decided to lift the mandatory post-arrival PCR tests for travelers from China beginning March 1. Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
Korea will lift mandatory post-arrival PCR tests on travelers entering Korea from China beginning March 1, as the COVID-19 situation has remained stable in both countries in recent weeks.
The government also decided to lift a measure that has restricted all flights arriving from China to land only at Incheon International Airport.
The authorities said, however, that the pre-arrival test requirement and Q-code uploads that visitors entering the country from China need to submit will remain in place until March 10 to monitor the effects of the eased restrictions.
A noticeboard showing information on post-arrival PCR tests for visitors entering from China stands at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport, Wednesday. Yonhap
On Jan. 2, Korea tightened various curbs on arrivals from China amid a surge in coronavirus infections there.
As China's COVID-19 infection wave and virus situation have entered a phase of stabilization, the government has gradually lifted these measures, beginning with a resumption in short-term visas issuances for Chinese visitors on Feb. 11.
The government also lifted a restriction on increasing the number of flights between Korea and China on Feb. 17.
In return, China resumed issuing short-term visas to Koreans on Feb. 18.
“We assessed that the degree of risk of the pandemic situation in China is not high,” a Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) official said.
KDCA data showed that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in China has significantly decreased from more than 40 million in the fourth week of December to 149,000 in the second week of February.
The number of deaths in that country has also fallen from 12,000 in the fifth week of December to 1,000 in the second week of February.
The ratio of infected patients among inbound travelers from China has continued to fall for six consecutive weeks and stood at 0.6 percent in the third week of February.
Korea has also seen a decrease in COVID-19 infection cases. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported during the third week of February decreased by 14.4 percent to 81,196 from the previous week.
The number of deaths and seriously ill patients fell by 5.8 percent and 19.2 percent, respectively, during the same period.
Amid the downtrend in both countries, the government is planning to increase the number of weekly flights between Korea and China from 62 to 80 by the end of February and to 100 by March.
Airlines are preparing to resume direct flights between Jeju Island and Chinese cities following the government's decision to allow planes from China to land at airports other than Incheon International Airport.
Korean budget carrier Jin Air's passenger planes are parked on the apron at Jeju International Airport on Jan. 26. Yonhap
Jin Air, Korean Air's budget carrier, said flights between Jeju Island and the Chinese city of Xi'an are expected to begin in March, possibly on March 9 at the earliest.
“We are waiting for approval from the Chinese government,” a Jin Air official said.
Hong Kong Express Airways is also preparing to operate flights between Jeju Island and Hong Kong from late March.
Jeju's government and travel industry are anticipating the return of Chinese tourists and the recovery of the tourism market of the southern resort island.
The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province said it will enhance cooperation with the Korea Tourism Organization, the Jeju Tourism Organization and the Jeju Tourism Association to enhance promotions to attract more Chinese tourists.