College and university dormitories on campuses are no longer to be used as quarantine facilities for students arriving from other countries, starting on Sept. 1, the Ministry of Education said yesterday.
Foreign students and students returning from other countries must undergo a 14-day quarantine after entering Taiwan.
Students placed under quarantine in dormitories before Sept. 1 could finish their quarantine in the room that they were allocated, but if other arrangements are made during their quarantine, they would be moved to a centralized quarantine facility, the ministry said.
The ministry on July 3 told colleges and universities that they could use dormitories on and off campus which had been approved by the local health department as quarantine facilities during the summer vacation.
The ministry yesterday said that it has told schools to arrange the arrival, quarantine and attendance for foreign students as soon as possible so that schools could prepare their disease prevention measures before school starts in the middle of next month.
To reduce the risk of infection and not affect general students’ chances of getting accommodation, the ministry said that it told schools not to arrange for students arriving from other countries to be quarantined at dormitories on campuses where students take classes from Sept. 1.
Off-campus dormitories would still be available for quarantine purposes after Sept. 1, it added.
As of Wednesday last week, the ministry had given 4,299 foreign students approval to enter Taiwan, including students from 19 low and medium-infection-risk countries, as well as graduate students and existing students from other countries and areas. About 3,000 students have returned to Taiwan.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man