Coronavirus: South Korea drops quarantine for vaccinated visitors; Southeast Asia’s tourist hubs roll back restrictions
- The easing of restrictions for vaccinated travellers comes as South Korea faces its largest Covid-19 surge yet, with more than 400 deaths on Thursday alone
- Elsewhere, Thailand reported its highest daily case tally, even as it and other tourist havens across the region look to roll back pandemic restrictions
Travellers who have completed a two-dose vaccine series at least 14 days before their trip will be considered fully vaccinated. A one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also be accepted.
If more than 180 days have passed since a traveller completed their initial vaccination series, they will need a booster shot to be considered fully vaccinated.
Overseas travellers will receive a QR code through the Q-Code system, which can be scanned at immigration, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation’s website. The Q-Code system will ask for information such as a passport number, departure country, airline, phone number and vaccine records.
Travellers arriving by plane will need to show proof of a negative PCR coronavirus test taken no more than 48 hours before departure. Children under the age of 6 do not need a coronavirus test to enter.
The easing of restrictions comes as South Korea faces its largest Covid-19 surge yet. The 429 deaths reported on Thursday were nearly 140 more than the previous one-day record set on Tuesday. Fatalities may further rise in coming weeks considering the intervals between infections, hospitalisation and deaths.