Anchor: The government has stressed that stricter quarantine measures for arrivals from China were merely about prioritizing public health and safety, with president Yoon Suk Yeol asserting that the decision was based on science to protect the South Korean public and asking the foreign ministry to provide a thorough explanation to Beijing. This comes after China accused Seoul of enacting “discriminatory” policies and suspended the issuance of short-term visas for South Koreans in what has been construed as a retaliatory move.
Our Kim So-yon has more.
Report: Following China's suspension of short-term visa issuance for South Koreans, health authorities in South Korea said that stepped-up quarantine measures for incoming travelers from China was a decision that first and foremost considered the public's health and safety.
In a Wednesday briefing, Lim Sook-young, a senior official at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said the reinforced measures are objective and based on scientific grounds.
In the wake of a COVID-19 resurgence in China, travelers from the country have been required since January 2 to get tested before and after entry, while short-term visa issuance has been suspended in most cases.
In what appears to be a retaliatory move, Beijing suspended short-term visa services for South Korean nationals on Tuesday after earlier calling Seoul’s entry rules for travelers from China “discriminatory.”
The official stressed that the tightened measures were inevitable due to concerns about new variants and increased risk and uncertainty after China stopped announcing pandemic data.
Lim said the government will continue to monitor the pandemic situation at home and abroad and accordingly review whether antivirus measures should remain or be changed.
Meanwhile the latest South Korean data released on Wednesday shows that one of five travelers arriving from China test positive for COVID-19. Around 64-hundred people flew in from China between January 2 and 7, and the test results of 56-hundred of them have come in so far, with a positive result registered for eleven-hundred for an infected rate of 19-point-six percent.
Short-term visitors entering from China must get tested upon arrival at the airport while South Korean nationals and long-term foreign travelers must get tested within the first day of arrival at a local health center near their residence. According to the health ministry, 85 short-term foreign travelers who tested positive are currently isolated at a government-designated facility.
Source: KBS World Radio