COVID infected Chinese tourist caught in South Korea after fleeing quarantine center

South Korean police caught up to a Chinese man who escaped the country’s mandatory quarantine upon testing positive for COVID-19 on arrival.

The man, who was described by police as in his 40s, disappeared after testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival at Incheon Airport on Tuesday and managed to evade South Korean police until he was caught at a hotel on Thursday, according to Reuters.

“The person was found at a hotel in Seoul this afternoon,” a police officer said.

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The quarantine escape comes after South Korea joined several other countries around the world in requiring travelers from China to undergo a PCR test after China’s decision to abandon its “zero-COVID” policy as cases continue to rise in the country.

South Korea also restricted short-term visas for Chinese nationals until the end of next month and limited flights coming in from China to just Incheon International Airport, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced earlier this week.

Travelers who test positive for COVID-19 are subject to a mandatory quarantine period, part of the policy the Chinese passenger was temporarily able to avoid. He was put on a wanted list after he allegedly ran away while awaiting admission to quarantine, and he could face charges under South Korea’s disease control law.

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“We plan to investigate the individual once the mandatory isolation period is completed,” police said.

Penalties for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act could see the man serve up to one year in prison and pay fines up to 10 million won ($7,840), officials told Reuters.

South Korea has seen hundreds of Chinese travelers attempt to enter the country while testing positive for COVID-19 since earlier this week. South Korea has had 4,113 people arrive from China since Monday, with 239 of 917 test results showing positive. On Wednesday, 31.5% of the 327 passengers tested were positive for COVID-19.