The Lens: South Korea joins list of countries to implement new Covid-19 test requirements on travellers from mainland China

South Korea is one of the latest countries to require Covid-19 tests from travellers from China, following Beijing’s decision to lift its zero-Covid policy.

It will also restrict the number of short-term visas issued for Chinese nationals until the end of January and wait to increase the number of flights arriving from China. Incheon International Airport will be the only gateway for any flights from the country, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said.

“We need to urgently prepare for any domestic ripple effects,” Han said. “We will take stronger measures in case the situation gets worse, if we see a rapid increase of infections from new arrivals or the appearance of new variants.”

The protocol will also include travellers from Hong Kong and Macau, joining the United States, Japan and other countries who have recently adopted new rules.

Beijing has hit back against requirements that visitors from China present pre-departure Covid tests, insisting the rules were unreasonable and lacked a scientific basis.

“China and the Chinese people will surely win the final victory against the epidemic,” read an editorial in the Communist Party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily.

China, which has been largely shut since the pandemic began, ended mandatory quarantine for inbound travellers from January 8. But it will still require them to get tested for coronavirus before they start their journeys.

Bookings for international flights from China have risen by 145 per cent in recent days, said China Daily, a government-run newspaper, citing data from travel platform Trip.com.

But there are already signs that this could pose problems abroad.

South Korea, which began testing travellers from China last week, said more than a fifth of the test results were positive.

Reuters and Yanni Chow

• To what extent do you agree with some countries’ decision to take new border measures against China, and why?

• What can the world expect when China fully reopens its border? Explain your ideas.

Elson Tan, Hong Kong Adventist Academy

I am 100 per cent in support of US President Joe Biden signing the Respect for Marriage Act. Everyone has a right to love.

While same-sex marriage was legalised nationwide in 2015, codifying it as law protects LGBTQ individuals from having their right to marry stripped away. And though there may be those who oppose it (some, unfortunately, to a violent extent), the Respect for Marriage Act and prior civil rights acts protect people and send a message of acceptance to the world.

Biden’s actions are not a publicity stunt. It’s not part of a radical agenda, either. It’s a decision deeply rooted in the American dream, which promises life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the Act allows you to live as you are, move freely in your private life as an LGBTQ person and go after what makes you happy. It lets people get married, start families and go through life with the person they love by their side, with the same rights and protections afforded to heterosexual couples.

The bill is a monument to equal rights. However, there’s still a long way to go. For example, conversion therapy – a harmful practice that aims to “turn people straight” – should be banned in the US, and there needs to be tougher action taken against homophobic hate groups.

More countries should follow in the United State’s footsteps and implement similar laws because, after all, you should never judge a person by things they cannot control, and you cannot control love.

The Lens: US President Biden signs Respect for Marriage Act into law, protecting same-sex unions