South Korea will drop the pre-arrival COVID testing requirements for all travelers from China next week, the country’s authorities have revealed.
A senior official of the Ministry of Interior of South Korea said last week that the country would drop the requirement to take a Coronavirus test at least 48 hours before arrival on March 10.
The same stressed that on March 1, South Korea would also drop the post-arrival Coronavirus testing requirement.
This means that currently, travelers from China reaching South Korea are only required to take a pre-arrival test, and as soon as such a measure gets officially lifted on March 10, they will be able to enter the country without taking any of the two tests, VisaGuide.World reports.
South Korea decided to impose a post-arrival testing requirement in addition to the pre-arrival testing requirement in January after China abruptly reversed its strict strategy.
However, now that the COVID situation is under control in the two countries and warmer months are approaching, the South Korean authorities decided to relax the rules and permit more travelers from China to enter the country.
Data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) show that China has recorded 97,455 new COVID infection cases in the last seven days. During the same period, China recorded 355 new deaths.
As for South Korea, WHO reveals that the country recorded 67,946 new COVID infection cases and 104 deaths in the last seven days.
The decision of South Korea to relax its entry rules for all travelers from China was welcomed by everyone, especially by Korean airlines. The Korean airlines said that they hope to increase the number of flights from China to South Korea and vice versa.
Korean Air has already submitted a request to increase the number of flights between the two countries, and a spokesperson said that they hope to have as many flights between China and South Korea as during the pre-pandemic period.
As for the visas, South Korea has already lifted the restrictions imposed on short-term travelers from China.
South Korea stopped issuing short-term visas to nationals in China earlier this year under claims of increasing COVID-19 infection cases. However, now that the situation is more stable, the authorities decided to no longer apply limitations.
Similar to South Korea, Japan has also decided to relax its entry rules for travelers from China. The Japanese authorities said that the country would adopt a selective approach instead of requiring all travelers from China to undergo mandatory Coronavirus testing.
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