Covid-19-positive Chinese national on South Korea’s wanted list after fleeing quarantine
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Health workers guiding travellers arriving from China at a Covid-19 testing centre at Seoul's Incheon International Airport.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL - The South Korean authorities were trying to track down on Wednesday a Chinese national who tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival, but went missing while waiting at a quarantine facility.
The 41-year-old man, who was not identified, tested positive after arriving at Incheon International Airport near Seoul late on Tuesday and was transferred to a nearby hotel to await admission to quarantine, but then went missing, a health official said.
Police discovered via security camera footage that the man had visited a supermarket 300m from the hotel, but have not been able to track his whereabouts since.
The man has been placed on a wanted list, the health official, Mr Kim Joo-young, said during a briefing on Wednesday.
The person faces up to one year in prison, or 10 million won (S$10,530) in fines, if convicted of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, he said.
When asked whether the health authorities are considering disclosing the man’s face so as to speed up the investigation process, Mr Kim replied: “We will discuss the matter with the police and immigration authorities.”
Since Monday, all travellers from mainland China arriving by air or sea have been obligated to submit a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result taken within 48 hours prior to their entry, or a negative antigen test result taken within 24 hours prior, followed by another PCR test upon arrival
From Saturday, arrivals from Hong Kong and Macau will also be subjected to toughened measures.
A total of 2,189 people have arrived from China since Jan 2, official data showed.
The 590 test results so far showed that 136 people, or 23 per cent, were infected with Covid-19, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
On Tuesday alone, 26 per cent of 281 people tested produced a positive result, KDCA data showed.
The case of the missing Chinese national triggered questions in the media about South Korea’s system to control and manage infected inbound travellers.
Mr Kim expressed regret that the authorities could not head off such an incident, calling it a “disgrace”. “Going forward, we will dispatch more personnel including police to prevent this from recurring,” he said.
The case also fuelled public debate on restrictions on people arriving from China.
“There needs to be more restrictions,” said Mr Lee Jae-moon, 30, who was waiting for someone to arrive at Incheon airport. “Today’s incident underlines the seriousness of the situation.”
But another South Korean, Ms Won Mi-kyong, 51, disagreed, saying that China was an important economic partner and South Korea should “open the door wider” to its people.
REUTERS, THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
