韩国宣布将继续限制来自中国的短期旅行者入境 I 美联社

  • 韩国宣布将继续限制来自中国的短期旅行者入境,直到2月底,因为担心COVID-19在该国的传播可能会在农历新年假期后恶化。

  • 1月初,韩国停止在其驻中国领事馆签发大多数短期签证,理由是担心中国在12月突然放松冠状病毒限制后出现的病毒激增以及可能出现新的变异。

  • 韩国还要求所有来自中国大陆、香港和澳门的乘客在抵达前48小时内提交阴性测试证明,并在他们抵达后再次接受测试。

  • 这些措施最初是在1月份实施的,促使中国进行报复,暂停韩国的短期签证申请,引起了人们对这个严重依赖对华出口的国家的商业活动中断的担忧。

  • 在周五举行的韩国COVID-19应对措施会议之后,卫生当局决定将对来自中国的短期旅行者的冠状病毒措施再延长一个月。

  • 韩国官员在会议期间表示,如果中国的COVID-19情况变得更加明确,就有可能提前放宽限制。

  • 当被问及对中国可能因延长病毒措施而对韩国采取进一步报复措施的担忧时,首尔外交部在一份声明中说,它正在与北京密切沟通,并坚持认为所有的大流行病应对措施应该 “只基于抗病毒的原因”。

  • 根据韩国疾病控制和预防机构的数据,从1月2日至周四抵达韩国的6900名中国短期旅客中,约有10%在机场接受检测后呈阳性。

  • 韩国允许延长现有的签证,但除了必要的政府、外交和商业活动以及人道主义原因外,韩国已经停止发放大多数短期签证,因为其在中国的领事馆。

  • South Korea has announced that it will continue to restrict the entry of short-term travelers from China through the end of February over concerns that the spread of COVID-19 in that country may worsen following the Lunar New Year’s holidays.

  • In early January, South Korea stopped issuing most short-term visas at its consulates in China, citing concerns about a virus surge in the country that abruptly eased coronavirus restrictions in December and the potential for new mutations.

  • South Korea has also required all passengers from China, Hong Kong and Macao to submit proofs of negative tests taken with 48 hours before their arrival and put them through tests again once they arrive.

  • The steps, which originally were imposed for the month of January, prompted China to retaliate by suspending South Korean short-term visa applications, raising concerns about disrupted business activities in a country that heavily depends on exports to China.

  • Following a meeting on South Korea’s COVID-19 response on Friday, health authorities decided to extend the coronavirus measures on short-term travelers from China for another month.

  • South Korean officials during the meeting left open the possibility of easing the restrictions earlier if it becomes clearer that China’s COVID-19 situation is improving.

  • When asked about concerns that China may take further retaliatory steps toward South Korea over the extension of the virus measures, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was closely communicating with Beijing and maintaining that all pandemic responses should be based “only on anti-virus reasons.”

  • According to South Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency, around 10% of the 6,900 short-term travelers from China who arrived in the country from Jan. 2 to Thursday tested positive after being tested at the airport.

  • South Korea is allowing the extension of existing visas, but has stopped issuing most short-term visas as its consulates in China, except for essential government, diplomatic and business activities and humanitarian reasons.

链接: South Korea extends restrictions on travelers from China | AP News