People who have recently visited countries with higher risk of COVID-19 infection might be excluded from simplified travel to Palau under a “travel bubble” arrangement, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday.
Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), made the remarks on the sidelines of the Taipei Traditional Chinese Medicine International Forum.
Asked whether a travel bubble between Taiwan and Palau could be launched next month, as reported by local media, Chen said that it depends on the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which is working with Palauan autorities on a mechanism to ensure the safety of both nations.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Noting that Palau has not had any confirmed COVID-19 cases, Chen said that all travelers from Taiwan would have to present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result from a Taiwanese hospital before boarding a plane to Palau.
Chen reiterated that only group travel would be allowed to reduce contact with local residents.
After returning, travelers would be required to perform 14 days of self-health management, including enhanced self-health management in the first five days, he said, adding that PCR tests would also be compulsory.
Asked if all residents of Taiwan would be eligible for travel to Palau, Chen said that the CECC “believes that people who have recently returned from other countries, especially from areas with higher COVID-19 infection risk, are not suitable for attending the tours.”
Asked if an additional warning label would be added to the packaging of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, Chen said that the center would discuss the issue.
Several European countries have fully or partially suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine after health authorities reported that some people had developed severe thrombosis after receiving the jab.
The Taiwanese packaging of the vaccine would include information on all known side effects, and healthcare workers who administer the shots would explain potential risks to recipients, Chen said.
“The rollout of any new vaccine must be observed,” he said.
The countries that suspended the rollout of the vaccine did so to better understand the adverse events that might have occurred, Chen said, adding that this was common practice, as was done with flu vaccines in some countries last year, which were suspended, but then resumed after about a week.
As the International Olympic Committee on Thursday confirmed that the Chinese Olympic Committee has offered to provide COVID-19 vaccines for participants of this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games and next year’s Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Chen said that Taiwanese athletes would be vaccinated in Taiwan before attending the Games.
Taiwan yesterday reported no new domestic or imported COVID-19 cases.
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