A service for transporting people subject to mandatory home quarantine from the airport to their home is to commence today, the Central Epidemic Command Center said yesterday.
The service was established after evaluating the risk of exposing those on public transportation or taxi drivers to people ordered to quarantine themselves at home, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.
“The service begins on Wednesday, with a grace period of a week, so that starting on Wednesday next week, people who are ordered to quarantine themselves at home, but break the order by taking public transportation will face a fine of NT$100,000 to NT$1 million [US$3,324 to US$33,237] according to the Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Restoration (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例),” Ministry of Transportation and Communications Department of Aviation and Navigation Director-General Yeh Hsieh-lung (葉協隆) said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Travelers placed under home quarantine can be driven from the airport to their home by family and friends, but if they have no one to pick them up, they are required to take the special transportation service, Yeh said.
Arrangements have been made at airports so that people are guided to the service vehicles, he added.
The fare for short to medium-distance travel from airport to home would be determined by a taxi meter, while the fare for longer-distance travel would be twice the price of a high-speed rail ticket, Yeh said.
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport would arrange rental vehicles for those traveling longer distances, while other airports would provide scheduled taxis, Yeh added.
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (台灣高鐵) yesterday announced that it was canceling non-reserved seat services during the Tomb Sweeping Festival break, which is to begin on April 2, in compliance with the nation’s disease-prevention efforts.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan
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