SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea will not require travelers from China to check for COVID-19 on arrival from next month, although they will still have to be checked before departure, a South Korean official, who has checked the rest of the regulations, said on Wednesday. to prevent the virus.
South Korea imposed several restrictions on passengers from China after lifting its strict zero-COVID policy expired last year, but eased them, bringing an improvement in the COVID scenario in its neighbor.
“Further relaxation of quarantine measures is conceivable, as the positive rate among arrivals from China increased from 18. 4% in the first week of January to 0. 6% in the third week of February,” Kim Sung-ho, vice minister of the Ministry of Interior. and Security, he said at an assembly on the COVID response.
Starting March 1, South Korea will also allow flights from China to land at airports other than its main Incheon International Airport, which has been the gateway for flights from China since early January.
Mandatory pre-departure PCR tests for passengers from China will remain in place until March 10, Kim said, to monitor and evaluate the impact of the rest of the rules.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing was in a position to take reciprocal measures when the time came.
South Korea earlier resumed issuing short-term visas for travelers from China, followed by Beijing lifting visa restrictions imposed in response to Seoul’s border restrictions.