The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced four additional conditions under which travelers to Taiwan can be exempted from providing a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result before boarding a plane, and explained how fines would be imposed on those who fail to provide test results.
The center’s autumn-winter COVID-19 prevention program that went into effect on Tuesday requires all travelers to Taiwan to provide a PCR test issued within three days prior to boarding a flight.
Exemptions are granted to three special categories, which are limited to Republic of China (ROC) citizens; alien resident certificate holders; and people from China, Hong Kong and Macau with residency permits.
The three categories are: family emergencies and medical emergencies; traveling from a country where a self-paid PCR test is unavailable; and special cases approved by the CECC.
People who have other difficulties obtaining a PCR test result can sign an affidavit to return, be assigned special seats on their flight and pay for a mandatory test upon arrival, but their reason for not having a test result on hand would be reviewed and they could be fined if the reason is found to be not good enough.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that the CECC has added a fourth category with four conditions.
The fourth category is “other conditions announced by the CECC,” including people who travel abroad and return within three days; children younger than seven; people who have an overdue PCR test result (issued more than three days prior to the boarding date) due to a flight cancelation; and companions of people with family emergencies and medical emergencies.
People who meet the additional conditions can sign an affidavit for boarding and pay for a mandatory test upon arrival in Taiwan, Chen said, adding that people without a PCR test result should inform the airline to gain approval in advance, present a signed affidavit at check-in and be assigned special seating on the plane.
The minister also gave examples on several types of offenses and their corresponding penalties.
Passengers who report not having a PCR result, or commit an error in filling the Communicable Disease Survey Form, but are unwilling to correct it may be fined NT$10,000 (US$348), while people who provide false or unclear proof of their special conditions, or said online they have a PCR test result, but were found to have none could be fined NT$30,000, he said.
People who refuse, avoid or obstruct the examination of the Communicable Disease Survey Form or the PCR report, or refuse to receive a mandatory self-paid test at the airport may be fined NT$50,000, Chen said.
People who fabricate or forge a PCR report, or those who verbally or physically threaten airport personnel by refusing, avoiding or obstructing the examination of required documents could be fined NT$150,000, he said, adding that the offender would face criminal charges.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), who is the CECC deputy head, said that a total of 1,141 passengers arrived on 26 international flights on Tuesday, and only two did not provide a PCR test.
One is a traveler who failed to return to Italy due to a local lockdown, so the person had to fly back to Taiwan without a PCR test and paid for a test at the airport.
The other case is a traveler who presented a test result at the airline check-in in Shanghai, but appeared to have the lost the document during transit, he said.
As the airline confirmed having seen the document, the person was only required to pay for another test at the airport, he said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS