SEOUL, June 3 — The South Korean government will lift a seven-day quarantine mandate for unvaccinated arrivals from overseas next week, as part of its efforts to restore pre-pandemic normalcy, Prime Minister Han Duck Soo said Friday.
Despite the lifting next Wednesday, international arrivals must still take a PCR test within three days of their entry into South Korea, Yonhap news agency quoted Han as saying during a COVID-19 response meeting.
Han said the government will also fully normalise the number of international flights and lift the curfew for arrivals at Incheon International Airport on the same day, 26 months after the enforcement of the antivirus regulations.
“Aviation restrictions at Incheon International Airport will be fully removed from June 8, and the government will ensure that flights are operated in a timely manner in line with demand,” Han said.
The move will boost the number of arrival flights per hour to the pre-pandemic level of around 40 from the current 20, according to the transport ministry.
Lifting pandemic-related restrictions on air travel comes as demand for foreign trips is rising as the government removed social distancing rules with the spread of COVID-19 being brought under control.
Prices of airline tickets rose due to restrictions on the number of international flights and the curfew for arrivals at Incheon International Airport, Han said.
Currently, there are no arrival flights allowed at the airport from 8 pm until 5 am.
The government also decided to lift the cap on the weekly number of international flights next Wednesday to meet the growing demand amid the stable virus situation in the country.
Initially, the ministry planned to add 100 to 300 more flights per week in phases beginning in May to raise the figure to about 50 percent of the pre-pandemic level by year-end.
The government will continue to make efforts to minimize people’s inconvenience caused by the pandemic, Han said.
