In this file photo, people apply for COVID-19 tests at a testing station set up for departing passengers at the second terminal of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Jan. 8, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — All international students bound for South Korea should undergo additional coronavirus testing within a day of arrival, the education ministry said Wednesday, in the latest effort to contain the spread of the highly contagious virus.
The ministry announced toughened measures, which will be effective for the first half and aim at protecting students and curbing the community spread of COVID-19.
Under the measures, all international students will continue to be required to submit negative coronavirus test results upon arrival. The tests should be conducted within 72 hours of their boarding their flights.
They are also subject to two more tests, one within a day of arrival and the other just before the end of the 14-day self-quarantine period, the ministry said.
International students are advised to refrain from coming to Korea and instead take online classes in their respective countries.
The ministry recommended local universities prepare accommodations with single rooms for foreign students during self-quarantine and share relevant information with local health authorities for effective monitoring and swift response.
According to the ministry, international students who entered the country from July to December totaled 30,000, down by 65 percent and 84 percent from the same period of 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Vietnamese and Chinese students took up 67 percent of the total, followed by Japanese at 2 percent and others from 153 nations taking up the rest.
From March to December, the country confirmed 165 coronavirus infection cases among 56,000 international students, including 37 Nepalese, 26 Uzbeks and 16 Indians.
Of the total, 41 students were confirmed to have the virus during the screening process at the airport and the rest tested positive while in self-quarantine. No local transmission cases have been reported, the ministry said.
(Yonhap)
