The South Korean government has decided to lift its restrictions on issuing short-term visas for travelers from China from Saturday. The anti-coronavirus measure was scheduled to be in place until the end of this month.

The government says the coronavirus infection ratio among arrivals from China, which once hit around 30 percent, has recently dropped below 2 percent. It adds that no virus mutations have been identified among the infected arrivals.

Travelers from China will still need to take PCR tests before and after entry.

South Korea tightened border controls for arrivals from China early last month, ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.

China countered the move by suspending the issuance of short-term visas to South Korean nationals along with other measures.

Attention is now focused on how China will react to the latest South Korean decision.