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Taiwan's borders to remain closed to non-residents

ROC Central News Agency

07/26/2021 06:04 PM

Taipei, July 26 (CNA) Travelers who are not citizens or legal residents of Taiwan will still not be permitted to enter the country when the COVID-19 alert level is lowered on Tuesday, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said Monday.

The current border restrictions will be maintained to prevent the entry of COVID-19 viruses, particularly the highly contagious Delta variant, so as to avoid straining Taiwan's medical resources, Chen said at a press briefing.

The entry ban, therefore, will be retained for non-citizens of Taiwan, foreign nationals who do not hold a valid Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), and foreign travelers in transit, said Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Exemptions may be made on a case-by-case basis, however, for humanitarian reason and in emergency situations, he said.

The border restrictions will be reviewed from time to time, based on the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan and other countries, Chen said.

Taiwan's government imposed the "no entry, no transit" policy for non-residents on May 19.

Last Friday, the Cabinet said the national COVID-19 Level 3 alert would be lowered to Level 2, with effect from July 27, as the average daily number of new domestic COVID-19 cases had dropped over the past weeks.

(By Chen Chie-ling, Chang Ming-hsuan and Emerson Lim)

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