SEOUL: South Korea decided to lift a requirement for travelers from China to take PCR tests after their arrival here from next month as the Covid-19 situation remains stable, an official said, today.
Though the post-arrival test requirement will be lifted on Mar 1, the pre-arrival test requirement will remain in place until Mar 10 to monitor the effect of the eased restrictions, said Kim Sung-ho, a senior interior ministry official, during a Covid-19 response meeting.
"We believe that an additional easing of quarantine measures will be possible," he said, according to Yonhap's report.
South Korea has required travelers from China to show negative Covid-19 test results before boarding flights to South Korea and take an additional PCR test within the first day of their entry since early Jan amid a surge in Covid-19 infections in the neighbouring nation.
But China's situation has since stabilised and South Korea has been lifting restrictions one by one.
The government also decided to allow flights from China to land at other airports besides Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
The move comes as the rate of Covid-19-positive people among arrivals from China has subsided to 0.6 per cent in the third week of Feb from 18.4 per cent in the first week of Jan, it added.
On Feb 11, South Korea resumed issuing short-term visas for Chinese visitors, and China also restarted issuance of short-term visas for South Koreans, last Saturday.
The government will also increase flights between South Korea and China from 62 per week to 80 per week by the end of this month and to 100 per week in Mar, the officials said. – Bernama