Incheon International Airport runs separate gates for Chinese visitors

Chinese travelers come out of a designated entry gate of Incheon International Airport, Tuesday, which was established for foreign passengers arriving from China in an effort to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. /Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

Separate entrances for people arriving from Chia have been established at Incheon International Airport in an effort to strengthen quarantine inspections to combat the further spread of the coronavirus into the country, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Tuesday.

The measure comes as part of the government's decision Sunday to implement an entry ban on all non-Koreans who have visited Hubei Province in China within the past two weeks. The entry ban went into effect Tuesday.

"The entry ban is the strongest measure ever taken by the government to combat an infectious disease. The government will decide on whether to expand the areas concerned beyond Hubei Province by monitoring the progress of the outbreak," Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said during a press briefing.

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According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Incheon International Airport, the country's main gateway located west of Seoul, three arrival gates have been assigned only for passengers arriving from other areas in China ― two in Terminal 1 and one in Terminal 2.

The purpose of the separate gates is to limit the contact that these passengers have with other travelers. Once aircraft from China land at Incheon International Airport, they are assigned to the edge of the terminal, in order to separate these travelers from those from other regions.

The passengers are then led to a designated quarantine inspection area for a check on their health and screening for any symptoms of the coronavirus such as a fever or breathing problems.

Any passenger showing symptoms of the virus will immediately be placed in quarantine, while others will be asked to provide their phone numbers, which are then checked for their veracity. Quarantine officials will keep in touch with the travelers to see if they develop symptoms later. Entry may be denied if the contact number is fake or there is no contact number available.

Chinese travelers who possess passports issued by Hubei Province will be denied entry, and Korean visas approved by the South Korean Consulate General in Wuhan will also be temporarily rendered invalid.

Meanwhile, the KCDC confirmed the 16th case of the coronavirus infection, while a second patient may be released from hospital.

The 16th patient, a 42-year-old Korean woman, returned from a trip to Thailand, Jan.19, and started to feel cold-like symptoms, Jan. 25. Although she received treatment until Sunday, her condition didn't improve, so she was tested for the infection Monday. The test was positive, the KCDC said.

"Quarantine workers were immediately dispatched to the site of her residence and work to conduct epidemiological investigations and quarantine measures," KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyung said during a press briefing at the Government Complex in Sejong.

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