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Arrivals at Incheon International Airport go through quarantine procedures on July 13. (Yonhap News)

The number of South Korea’s COVID-19 cases arriving from overseas has been rising sharply. As of 12 am on July 13, the number of imported cases stood at 43, more than double the 19 community cases diagnosed that day. So far in July, a total of 288 people have tested positive after arriving from overseas. The number has been rising from month to month, with 192 cases in May and 323 in June.

On July 13, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced that imported cases accounted for 308 out of 722 patients testing positive over the two-week period from June 30 to July 13, or 42.7%. The number of imported cases has been rising steadily, climbing from 97 in the third week of June to 158 (42 South Korean nationals, 116 foreign nationals) in the second week of July. Of the 43 imported cases diagnosed on July 13, 18 tested positive during airport quarantine procedures, while the remaining 25 tested positive while in self-quarantine. Thirty-one patients came from Asian countries besides China, including 16 from the Philippines and nine from Uzbekistan.

The same day, disease control authorities instituted mandatory proof of a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for all foreign nationals arriving from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Passengers need to test negative 48 hours prior to their departure. The high rate of infection among passengers from these countries led to them being designated as subject to “intensified disease control measures.” All foreign ship crew members arriving through ports will also be required to remain in quarantine for two weeks at temporary facilities -- a measure in response to the growing number of diagnoses among crew members on incoming ships, with 15 positive results found among those entering South Korea for shift rotation over the period from July 1 to 9. Diseases control authorities are operating a total of eight temporary living facilities, with additional locations set up in Busan and Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

Of the 40,000 passengers arriving in South Korea between July 1 and 10, a total of 179 tested positive for the virus, or roughly 0.46%. KCDC Director Jung Eun-kyeong said, “The arrival purposes of patients diagnosed with imported cases have been varied, including crew members arriving from the Philippines for shift rotation, overseas Koreans visiting from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, short-term visits of less than 90 days, and arrivals for employment or study purposes.”

By Hwang Ye-rang, staff reporter

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