The Ministry of National Defense yesterday temporarily suspended overseas travel to selected areas by military personnel to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Ministry spokesman Major General Shih Shun-wen (史順文) said the suspension was due to the rising threat of the virus.
The ministry is asking personnel whose applications for overseas travel were already approved prior to the ban to delay or cancel their trips, Shih said.
Photo: CNA
Military personnel who insist on traveling overseas require special approval from a superior officer and would be quarantined for 14 days when they return, he said.
The ministry considers disease prevention to be as serious as combat, and would continue to follow the advice of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), he added.
Meanwhile, the ministry would maintain normal training operations to ensure the military’s combat readiness, Shih said.
The restrictions come after the WHO on Wednesday declared the virus a pandemic, and follows a travel advisory implemented last month.
The military advisory was to prevent an outbreak among military personnel responsible for national security, Shih said.
It covers the following 29 countries and territories listed by Taiwan as posing a risk of infection for travelers: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the US, the UK and Vietnam.
Last month, the CECC also announced a temporary suspension of overseas travel by frontline doctors and nurses working in hospitals.
It said that with the current shortage of workers in the healthcare system, Taiwan cannot afford to put its medical personnel into 14-day quarantine when they return from trips abroad.
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