The ruling People Power Party(PPP) has requested that the government scrap the rule requiring all international arrivals to complete a PCR test within 24 hours of entry.

The party’s chief policy-maker Sung Il-jong said the PPP made a series of requests during a meeting on COVID-19 policies with the government held at the National Assembly on Thursday.

Noting that South Korea and China are the only countries requiring tests on arrival, Sung said the request was one of four related to pandemic policies, including the replacement of partitions with strict quarantine measures such as mask-wearing for visits to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Another request asked the government to hold extensive talks on swiftly suspending indoor mask mandates for kindergartens, daycares and elementary schools, noting that masks impede language development by preventing children from seeing mouth shapes while speaking.

The lawmaker said the party also requested the government to provide thorough quarantine measures in preparation for a resurgence in COVID-19 cases with winter right around the corner.