Taiwan plans shorter quarantine for travellers by March
Reviews
Amari SPICE Penang
Step into the world of comfort and productivity at Amari SPICE Penang, as the property’s facilities and attentive service ensure a memorable and cared-for stay.
Andaz Macau
Opened in September, the 700-key Andaz Macau lays claim to being the largest property in the brand’s global portfolio. While that perks up one’s ears, it is the hotel’s presentation of local artworks and artefacts that steals the show
Hell’s Museum
Visitors to Singapore can opt to visit Hell’s Museum for an eye-opening experience, and have one hell of a time exploring the concepts behind graphic representations of sins and punishments in the afterlife.
Taiwan aims to ease her blanket on-arrival quarantine requirement for people entering the island from March, in recognition of the need to resume normal life and reopen to the world, the government said yesterday.
While Taiwan has never implemented a full border closure during the pandemic, arrivals have generally been limited to citizens and foreign residence permit holders and with a compulsory two-week quarantine on arrival.
The government now intends to cut on-arrival quarantine to 10 days before the middle of March. Health minister Chen Shih-chung told reporters that infections could be detected within that period with testing.
In an interview with Taipei Times, Chen said the new measures would also permit the entry of foreign business travellers and that the Central Epidemic Command Center might establish business travel bubbles to facilitate shorter quarantine periods for such travellers.
However, a complete removal of on-arrival quarantine before the summer holidays was unlikely, according to Chen.
Standing alongside reopening plans is an acknowledgment that Taiwan will need to reopen safely. Conditions for Taiwan’s reopening include sufficient medical supplies and preparations, as well as a continued expansion of Taiwan’s vaccinated population. Some 30 per cent of Taiwan’s 23.5 million residents have obtained a booster shot. The government wants the figure to hit 50 per cent before easing entry requirements.
News media reported that premier Su Tseng-chang expressed confidence in the government’s ability to cope with rising local infections that might come with the reopening.
“The government must also take into account livelihoods and economic development, gradually return to normal life, and step out to the world,” stated the office of premier Su Tseng-chang.