“It was a business trip to Seoul that was scheduled a long time ago, but the schedule has been disrupted due to a sudden change in policy.”



Today (2nd) at around 11:20 am, Korean Mr. A, whom I met at Incheon International Airport, sighed.



He, who works as an expatriate in Beijing, China, was scheduled to enter the country on the same day and stay at a hotel in Seoul for a week.



However, he cried out that the schedule at the beginning of the business trip was twisted when he faced a situation where the latter of the Corona 19 gene amplification (PCR) test had to be quarantined.



From that day on, as PCR testing became compulsory for all people entering the country by air or ship from China, big and small confusion occurred at Incheon Airport, which became the only stopover for flights from China.



Under this measure, foreigners arriving from China for a short-term stay of less than 90 days must receive a PCR test immediately upon arrival and wait in a separate space until the test results are confirmed.



Koreans and foreigners staying longer than 90 days can undergo a separate PCR test at a public health center and self-quarantine until the results are available.



At around 11:50 a.m., foreigners wearing red name tags began to come out one by one to Incheon Airport's E arrival hall.



These are short-term foreign residents who came from Jinan, China.



Authorities handed out red name tags to identify short-term entrants from China.



Soldiers waiting outside wearing blue protective clothing identified entrants with name tags and escorted them to the inspection center in Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport.



Due to the sudden welcome of foreigners on the first day of implementation, there was a small confusion at the site.



There was also a case where a foreigner who arrived at Incheon International Airport on a flight from Singapore received a red name tag because he was in the wrong line, and returned home after hearing a soldier's explanation.



Even when moving from the arrival hall to the inspection center, a separate isolated route was not used.



They moved through the inside of the building where airport users walk, and a foreigner who was moving to the inspection center handed over his luggage to an acquaintance who was waiting for him.



Foreigners who have undergone a PCR test must wait in the waiting room on the 1st floor of a nearby transportation center building until the results come out.



This place with benches and simple refreshments can accommodate about 300 people at the same time.



The high-intensity quarantine measures for entrants from China are in response to the recent rapid spread of Corona 19 in China.



It is known that the number of new confirmed patients, severely ill patients, and deaths in China is exploding after the transition to 'With Corona' at the beginning of last month.



(Photo = Yonhap News)