Taiwan raises travel alert for Egypt

ROC Central News Agency

03/15/2020 08:30 PM

Taipei, March 15 (CNA) Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) raised its travel advisory for Egypt to a Level 2 alert Sunday, saying that the number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases there has been spiking.

Under the CECC's three-tier travel advisory system, the Level 2 alert means that travelers arriving from Egypt will be required to observe 14 days of self-health management by minimizing time spent in public, wearing a face mask and checking their temperature twice daily.

Travelers to Egypt are also advised to take personal prevention measures against COVID-19 infection, according to the CECC alert.

In a press statement, the CECC said the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Egypt has reached 109, with 42 new cases recorded in a single day.

According to the CECC, the number of coronavirus cases in Egypt may be much more, considering its lack of manpower and testing capacity.

Several countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, France, Hong Kong and Taiwan, have reported more than 20 imported cases of COVID-19 from Egypt in total, while neighboring countries such as Qatar and Kuwait have imposed restrictions on travelers from Egypt, according to the CECC.

Other countries and areas under the CECC's Level 2 travel alert include Japan, Singapore, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the American states of Washington, New York and California,

A Level 3 travel warning, the highest in CECC's travel advisory system, is currently in effect for China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Iran and Italy.

On Saturday, the CECC announced that it was raising its the travel alert to a Level 3 warning for the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Under a Level 3 alert, all incoming travelers to Taiwan are subject to mandatory 14-day home quarantine, while outgoing travelers are cautioned against unnecessary trips.

Countries and regions not covered in the CECC's Level 2 or 3 travel warnings are automatically under a Level 1 travel watch, under which travelers are asked to observe local COVID-19 response regulations, and incoming travelers are required to observe 14 days of self-health management.

(By Chen Cheng-wen, Chang Hsiung-feng and Emerson Lim) Emditem/pc