All foreign nationals would be barred from entering Taiwan after midnight tonight, except for holders of the various Alien Resident Permits (ARCs), diplomats and a limited number of others, while all arrivals would be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced this morning.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), head of the center, said the move was necessary after a spike in confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Taiwanese who had recently returned from abroad.
A total of 23 new COVID-19 cases, 21 of which originated overseas, were confirmed today, bringing the total number in the nation to 100, after 10 cases, all imported, were reported on Tuesday.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said some foreign nationals would not be subject to the ban, including ARC holders, those with documentation proving they are in Taiwan for diplomatic or other official purposes, those coming to fulfill business contractual obligations and those who have received special permits
The new entry restrictions would be subject to change, based on CECC directives, Wu said.
Chen said that anyone arriving from overseas — Republic of China citizens or authorized foreign nationals — would be required to be quarantined at home for 14 days.
In addition, anyone who arrived in Taiwan after being in or transiting through EU nations, Turkey or Dubai between March 3 and Sunday must quarantine themselves at home for 14 days, effective immediately, Chen said.
Those required to go into quarantine would receive NT$1,000 compensation per day from the government, Chen said.
These people should immediately contact their local township offices and report their travel history to the authorities, he added.
This story has been updated since it was first published.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
RSS