January 13, 2023: -On Tuesday, South Korea reached back at assertions that its Covid rules for Chinese travellers are “discriminatory,” which says over half of its imported cases are coming from China.

In a response, Seung-ho Choi, a deputy director at the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated that up to 80% of “imported confirmed cases” in South Korea come from China.

Choi stated that the number of people travelling from China who tested positive for Covid-19 increased 14 times from November to December.

Choi said its policies cover “all Korean and non-Korean nationals from China.

This is open to more than just Chinese people. There is zero discrimination for nationality in this measure.”

South Korea’s proximity to China, Choi stated, a surge in infections in China is putting South Korea at risk. “China’s COVID-19 situation is worsening, which is creating the possibility of recent variants to be detected,” he stated.

The omicron variant cleaned China in December after authorities relaxed stringent contact trace requirements that forced a few people to stay close to their homes for nearly three years. As of January 8, Beijing relaxed its international border controls, which opened the door to more travel in and out of the country.

It’s unlikely that dangerous the recent Covid variant spread in China, Dr Chris Murray, Seattle-based director of a health research centre at the University of Washington, said in late December.