Contributors: Winter Li; Bella P., Linda Progress
According to several Korean reports, in the past two weeks, about 240 of nearly 380 South Korean staff from10 diplomatic and consular offices and consulates across communist China were infected with Covid, also known as the CCP virus. The South Korean Government announced on December 30th, that the embassies and consulates in China will stop issuing short-term visas for Chinese travelers from January 2 to January 31, 2023.
Meanwhile, the government decided to suspend the plan of increasing flights from China. Currently, as more people are infected, only 5% of the scheduled flights from China arrive at the Incheon Airport, the designated airport in response to the CCP virus.
In addition, the government announced that from January 2nd, to February 28, 2023, travelers from China who plan for a short-term stay must take a PCR test and wait for the test results at the designated place. Korean citizens and long-term residents who enter from China are required to be tested at the station near their place of residence within the first day of their entry and have to quarantine at their residence until test results are available. In addition, starting from January 5th, 2023, all visitors entering South Korea from China must submit either a negative PCR test result within 48 hours before departure or a negative antigen (rapid screening) test result within 24 hours before departure.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to hold a public health crisis committee meeting next week in response to panic buying of drugs shortly after the outbreak of CCP virus in China, according to reports. During this period of time, authorities urge residents to refrain from panic buying, mailing out cold medicines or household drug stockpiling, or there will be penalties.