[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Since the self-quarantine exemption system for people entering Korea after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine overseas was implemented on the 1st of this month, cases of confirmed infections among those exempted from quarantine have continued to emerge.
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH), among 22,067 entrants who were exempted from quarantine and underwent diagnostic testing after entry, a total of 23 people tested positive as of the 21st. Twelve people had tested positive by the 16th, with 11 additional cases confirmed in just five days.
Of the 23 confirmed cumulative cases identified so far, 19 arrived from the UAE, while the remaining four came one each from Uganda, Poland, Mexico, and the United States.
As cases of vaccinated entrants from the UAE testing positive continued, the government canceled the quarantine exemption for entrants from the UAE on the 16th.
Among the 23 confirmed cases exempted from quarantine, 13 had received the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine. Six had received Pfizer, and one had received AstraZeneca (AZ). Of the remaining three, the vaccines received by two individuals have not yet been confirmed, and one is a child under six years old who entered with parents exempted from quarantine.
Meanwhile, from this month, the government is granting the benefit of a two-week self-quarantine exemption to those who have completed vaccination overseas and enter Korea for important business, academic or public interest purposes, or humanitarian reasons such as visiting immediate family members, treating them the same as those who completed vaccination domestically.
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