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CECC outlines plan to shorten quarantine, relax border restrictions

ROC Central News Agency

02/14/2022 07:33 PM

Taipei, Feb. 14 (CNA) The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Monday outlined its plan to shorten quarantine for those arriving in Taiwan and relax border restrictions for business travelers, though it did not provide a date as to when the new policies will be implemented.

Under the new rules, the current 14-day quarantine required for all incoming arrivals will be shortened to 10 days, and people will be allowed to quarantine at home as long as they are not sharing the residence with others, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.

Travelers will also have the option to stay in designated hotels for the 10-day quarantine, Chen said.

Incoming arrivals will receive a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival in Taiwan and before the end of quarantine, as well as take three rapid tests on their third, fifth, and seventh day of quarantine, Chen said.

They will take a fourth rapid test near the end of the seven-day self-health management period, Chen said.

The vaccination status of travelers will not have an effect on their quarantine requirements, he said.

The CECC also plans to allow business travelers to enter Taiwan and relevant guidelines will be drafted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, he said, adding that business travelers will follow the same quarantine rules as other arrivals.

Taiwan has banned the entry of all foreign nationals without residency, with few exceptions, since May 19, 2021, following an unprecedented spike in domestic COVID-19 cases in Taiwan.

When asked about the earliest date the new policies could be implemented, Chen said that it depends on the COVID-19 situation and vaccination rate in Taiwan.

The hope is the policies can be implemented before mid-March, he said.

The CECC has decided to ease Taiwan's border restrictions as the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan is now "stable and manageable," despite increased travel over the Lunar New Year holiday period, Chen said.

From Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, Taiwan recorded 153 new domestic COVID-19 cases, while 116 such cases were reported from Feb. 7-13, Chen said.

Another factor being taken into consideration is that over 99 percent of recent COVID-19 patients tested positive within 10 days of becoming infected, Chen said.

In addition, the number of people each COVID-19 patient infects on average has been reduced to around 1, and the test positivity rate has remained steady at around 0.02 percent, he said.

"Our contact-tracing can keep pace with the speed at which the Omicron variant has been spreading. Under this condition, we are preparing to ease border restrictions," he said.

(By Chiang Yi-ching)

Enditem/AW