Starting Today, China Entry Requires Negative Test Certificate... Will Positivity Rate Decrease?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] From the 5th, all domestic and foreign nationals boarding flights to Korea from China must submit a negative COVID-19 test certificate.

According to health authorities, travelers arriving from China must submit a certificate proving a negative result from a PCR test conducted within 48 hours or a professional rapid antigen test (RAT) conducted within 24 hours, from the 5th until the end of next month. However, those exempt from pre-entry testing include individuals attending funerals or traveling abroad for humanitarian or official business purposes, children under 6 years old, and those between 10 and 40 days after their confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.

On the 2nd, the government mandated PCR testing after entry and restricted the issuance of short-term visas to reduce domestic impact from the rapidly spreading COVID-19 variant circulating in China. Additionally, flights from China to Gimhae, Daegu, and Jeju airports were suspended, consolidating arrivals to Incheon Airport, and domestic destinations must be entered in advance through the Quarantine Information Pre-Entry System (Q-Code).

With COVID-19 testing required both before and after entry, the positive rate of PCR tests among arrivals from China is expected to decrease compared to before.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, among 587 imported COVID-19 cases from overseas between the 29th of last month and the 4th, 246 cases (41.9%) were from China. Looking specifically at PCR tests conducted on arrivals from China between the 2nd and midnight of the 4th, the proportion of positive cases from China rose to 55.6% (150 cases).

Due to concerns about indirect entry from mainland China, travelers arriving from Hong Kong and Macao will also be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test certificate starting from the 7th. However, they will not be required to undergo PCR testing after entry.