The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has reduced the quarantine period for all international travelers arriving in Taiwan after 12am on Wednesday to three days of home quarantine, followed by four days of self-disease prevention.
It also announced revised rules for Taiwan-based airline crew, exempting quarantine for those who have received a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine more than 14 days beforehand.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that from 12am on Wednesday, according to the scheduled arrival time, all travelers — irrespective of nationality and visa status — arriving in Taiwan would be eligible for the new policy.
Photo: Yao Chieh-hsiu, Taipei Times
The current policy is seven days of quarantine followed by seven days of self-health management, while the new policy is three days of home quarantine, followed by four days of self-disease prevention.
During the self-monitoring period, people are contacted daily by local authorities, but they can go out if they do not show symptoms, while avoiding gatherings and hospital visits.
The new policy does not require a self-health management period, Chen said.
However, travelers would still be required to present the negative result of a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken within two days of boarding their flight.
Chen said a saliva-based PCR test would be required at the airport on arrival, adding that travelers can take a disease prevention vehicle, or a private vehicle driven by a family member or friend or dispatched by a facility, to the quarantine location.
Inbound travelers must spend three days in home quarantine, he said, adding that they must then perform four days of self-disease prevention, in which they can go out to work or to buy necessities as long as they have tested negative using a rapid antigen test at home the same day or the previous day.
Chen said each inbound traveler aged two or older would receive two at-home rapid test kits at the airport for use if they develop symptoms and before they leave the quarantine location for the first time.
They must also wear a mask and maintain social distance when going out during the self-disease prevention period, he added.
While unnecessary outings should be avoided, they can perform work duties, such as contractual obligations, visiting people, giving lectures or attending meetings, he said, adding that they should avoid going to crowded places or being in contact with strangers, and nonurgent medical treatment or examinations should be postponed.
Business travelers who have contractual obligations can eat alone or with specified people, but with dividers or under proper social distance at a separate space in a restaurant, he added.
Migrant workers, fishers and students are not allowed to go to work or school while performing self-disease prevention, due to the increased risk of cluster infections, the CECC said.
Chen said there would initially be a cap of 25,000 arrivals per week.
In addition, the minister announced that also starting at 12am on Wednesday, fully vaccinated, Taiwan-based airline crew members who have had a booster shot would be subject to a policy of “testing to replace quarantine.”
Fully vaccinated crew members who have had booster shots would be subject to seven days of self-health monitoring, a PCR test on the day of arrival, and a rapid or PRC test every two days after returning on a long-haul flight.
They would be subject to five days of self-health monitoring — a rapid or PCR test every day, until five days after the last flight duty — after returning on a short-haul flight.
Crew members who are not fully vaccinated would be required to follow a “3+4 quarantine” policy — three days of home quarantine, followed by four days of self-health monitoring after returning from a long-haul flight.
They are required to follow seven days of self-health monitoring, including a rapid or PRC test every day for seven days after the last flight duty after returning from a short-haul flight.
Asked if there is a possibility of easier overseas travel before September, Chen said it is possible, but border control measures would be eased very carefully.
He said the inbound traveler capacity cap would for now be expanded from about 18,000 to 20,000 people per week, and if infection control measures run smoothly, reopening might be accelerated.
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
REBUFFED: In response to Chinese criticism over recent arms sales, Washington urged Beijing to engage in meaningful dialogue instead of threats and intimidation Washington’s long-term commitment to Taiwan would not change, the US Department of State said yesterday, urging Beijing to stop pressuring Taiwan and engage in meaningful bilateral dialogues. The remarks came in response to a backlash from Beijing about Washington’s latest approval of arms sales to Taiwan. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement on Wednesday that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US has asked to purchase an arms package, including Tactical Mission Network Software; AH-1W helicopter spare and repair parts; M109A7 self-propelled howitzers; HIMARS long range precision strike systems; tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missiles; Javelin
RSS