Seoul, (Samajweekly) The South Korean government on Friday vowed to take stern action against a Chinese man who has been arrested for going nto hiding without entering mandatory quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19 upon his arrival in the country.
The 41-year-old man was told to stay in quarantine for a week at a hotel on Tuesday right after testing positive for the virus after he arrived at the Incheon International Airport, reports Yonhap News Agency.
He, however, refused to quarantine himself and went into hiding.
Police arrested him at a hotel in Seoul on Thursday on charges of violating the pandemic prevention and control law.
“Regarding the Chinese who was arrested yesterday (Thursday) after running away on Tuesday, the government will sternly punish him in accordance with the law and principles,” Kim Seong-ho, a high-rank Interior Ministry official, said during a government meeting.
Keeping a close eye on the pandemic situation at home and abroad, the government will make sure quarantine measures on those arriving from abroad are exhaustively implemented, he added.
On Monday, South Korea made it mandatory for all arrivals from China to undergo a PCR test within the first day of their entry into the country.
Those who test positive for the virus must be quarantined for one week.
From Saturday onwards, those from Hong Kong and Macao will also be required to take a PCR or an antigen test before boarding flights to South Korea.
