With the 94 quarantined passengers who arrived Tuesday in Nanjing from Korea released this morning, all those coming from both Korea and Japan are now requested to do same at home, while prices for flights from Korea to China have soared.
The arrival of Asiana Airlines flight OZ349 in Nanjing early on Tuesday afternoon was to be more than routine. Three travellers on board showed signs of fever, prompting the immediate quarantine of 94 passengers.
None of the three in question, who were Chinese tourists, had any recent link with Wuhan City or Hubei Province.
Swab tests for Covid-19 on all three came back negative, resulting in the 94 detainees being released from observation this morning, 27 February. The detainees nevertheless should complete the 14-day quarantine period by means of home observation.
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This incident, along with the recent sudden increase in Covid-19 cases in Korea has prompted authorities in many parts of China to consider additional measures. In particular are those cities with a large Korean expatriate population.
In the coastal city of Weihai in northern Shangdong Province, Wang Luming, Secretary of the Shandong Weihai Municipal Party Committee and Leader of the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic Prevention and Control Committee, chaired a special meeting on Tuesday, 25 February.
The meeting proposed that everyone arriving in Weihai from Japan or Korea, including foreigners and Chinese, be given free accommodation in hotels for the quarantine period. Arrivals from other countries are also being considered in the unprecedented move.
Here in Nanjing, the city’s Foreign Affairs Office has released “A Letter to Foreigners in Nanjing” to address these issues. “For those who recently come to Nanjing from Japan or Republic of Korea, please practice a 14-day health observation at home to ensure your health”, requests the statement.
Ticket Prices Soar as Airlines Cut Back and Chinese Return from Korea
Flights to and from Japan and Korea constitute the bulk of China’s international air travel. While most airlines in other countries have stopped flying to China altogether, those in Japan and Korea have been operating at a significantly reduced frequency.
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Shanghai Pudong International Airport would normally operate 198 weekly flights to and from Korea. Last week, only 16 took to the skies, a decrease of 91.9 percent. For Qingdao Liuting International Airport, the numbers were 143 and 41, a 71.3 percent decrease. For Beijing Capital International Airport; 131, and 45, a 65.6 percent drop.
While supply has fallen, demand has also increased. Industry insiders put the surge in demand down to Chinese returning home for work, reports The Paper.
The knock-on effect is that prices for flights from Korea to China have risen sharply, in many cases, as much as 5-10 fold.
Yesterday, 26 February, the cheapest, immediately-available direct flight from Seoul to Shanghai was priced at ¥4,680. For flights on 29 and 30 February, the cheapest was ¥1,668. Tickets for the same flights would normally go for ¥600-800.
Back here in Nanjing, despite this week’s events, Nanjing Lukou International Airport has made no change to the epidemic prevention steps it is taking for all arriving flights. Passengers undergo two temperature checks, one on the plane and another upon arrival. Those checks for flights from Korea are likely to be more strict.
