[Asia Economy reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Byeon Seon-jin] On the 8th, the positive rate of arrivals from China who were immediately tested at the airport was found to be 3.9%. This is the lowest rate since the implementation of high-intensity quarantine measures for arrivals from China on the 2nd.
According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 9th, among 934 people who arrived at Incheon International Airport from China the previous day, 180 short-term foreign residents underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing at the airport testing center, and 7 were confirmed positive. The airport test positive rate was 3.9%. This is the lowest figure since PCR testing became mandatory for arrivals from China on the 2nd. The airport test positive rate had been rising, with 19.7% on the 2nd, 26.5% on the 3rd, and 31.4% on the 4th, and even after the requirement to submit a negative test certificate before entry (12.6% on the 5th → 23.5% on the 6th → 14.8% on the 7th), it did not significantly decrease.
Since the 2nd, a total of 8,399 people have entered the country through airports from China. The cumulative positive rate among short-term residents tested at the airport is 20.0% (365 out of 1,823), meaning one in five was confirmed positive.
Meanwhile, with the removal of the 8-day quarantine requirement for arrivals from China starting on the 8th, the number of Chinese traveling abroad is expected to increase. Arrivals from China via Macau and Hong Kong must submit a negative test certificate before entry, but those traveling through Southeast Asian countries are not subject to this obligation, raising concerns about the potential spread of variants through these routes. The health authorities have stated that arrivals from Southeast Asian countries are also required to report any visit to China within the past 7 days and are subject to mandatory testing if applicable.
On the same day, the number of new confirmed cases was 19,106, a decrease of 27,660 from the previous day (46,766), reflecting the impact of reduced testing over the weekend. This is the first time in two months since November 7 of last year (18,665 cases) that daily new cases have fallen below 20,000.
The number of imported cases was 109, down 23 from 132 the previous day. Among them, 74 (68%) were arrivals from China, including short-term foreign residents confirmed positive after testing at the airport, Chinese nationals confirmed at public health centers, and long-term foreign residents confirmed positive.
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