More funding has been requested from the Executive Yuan to subsidize hoteliers who accept guests ordered to complete a 14-day quarantine upon their return to Taiwan from overseas, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.
Quarantine hotels make available more than 16,000 rooms to people mandated to undergo a 14-day quarantine before they can re-enter local communities, the bureau said, adding that the average occupancy rate is 50 percent.
As the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced on Wednesday that starting on Jan. 15, people entering Taiwan would mainly be placed in government quarantine facilities and quarantine hotels, the bureau said that it has asked local governments to ensure that they have enough rooms to meet demand.
Hoteliers have said that government subsidies, which expired yesterday, greatly helped with the additional cost of sterilizing facilities, and that extending the subsidies would incentivize hotels to continue assisting the government in curbing the spread of COVID-19, it said.
The bureau said its preliminary plan would be to extend the subsidy program to June.
Hotels accommodating citizens or permanent residents of Taiwan as they quarantine would receive the same daily subsidy of NT$800 per room, it added.
On Wednesday evening, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) convened an emergency meeting regarding the CECC’s tightened measures for all air travelers.
Lin said that the bureau should assist local governments in evaluating the capacity of quarantine hotels and gradually increase the number of accommodations.
The bureau could draft hotels to help if necessary, he added.
Taoyuan International Airport Corp should check whether the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport has enough disease prevention taxis and buses to take travelers home or to designated quarantine facilities, he said.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration should coordinate with airlines regarding the number of passengers arriving on flights so that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications can accurately estimate the transportation and accommodation needed to meet the CECC’s requirements, Lin said.
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