Embassy in Korea: "COVID-19 Situation Stabilizing in China... Hope to End Quarantine Phase This Month"

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] The Korean Embassy in China stated that the COVID-19 situation in China is stabilizing and expressed hope that the conflicts between the two countries over quarantine measures will be resolved within this month.

A senior official from the Korean Embassy in China met with correspondents in Beijing on the 6th and said regarding the timing of resolving the tense Korea-China relations over quarantine guidelines, "The COVID-19 situation in China is stabilizing, and the positive rate of inbound travelers from China to Korea is currently 1% (as of the 5th). We hope that the issues related to quarantine measures can be well resolved within February if possible."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding China's COVID-19 testing status for travelers arriving from Korea, the official explained, "Testing is conducted only for foreign passengers, including our nationals, while Chinese nationals are either not tested or only selectively tested, which is not desirable for the friendly relations between the two countries." He added, "Our quarantine policy is about protecting our own citizens, so this issue should not negatively affect Korea-China relations." Furthermore, he noted, "As of the 6th, there have been no requests for support or complaints related to China's quarantine restrictions received by the embassy."

Concerning the outlook for resolution timing, he referred to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's remarks about the possibility of early lifting of quarantine measures depending on China's COVID-19 situation, adding, "The quarantine authorities will review related measures based on scientific evidence such as the COVID-19 situation in China and the positive rate of inbound travelers from China."

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the positive rate of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests peaked at 34% on December 20 last year, then dropped to 2.9% on January 30, and as of January 31, the number of patients with fever and severe cases decreased by 94% and 89%, respectively, compared to the peak. The positive rate of inbound travelers from China to Korea was 31.4% on January 4 but has decreased to 1% as of the 5th.