Travelers arriving in Taiwan under the quarantine-free entry policy set to take effect on Oct. 13 will be allowed to use public transportation and eat in restaurants during the seven-day health monitoring period after their arrival, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Thursday.
Under the new protocol, known as “0+7,” no quarantine will be mandated, but travelers will have to observe seven days of “self-initiated epidemic prevention,” in which they are required to take a COVID-19 rapid test every two days.
At a press conference Tuesday, CECC head Victor Wang (王必勝) said that under the 0+7 policy, many of the current arrival procedures will be ended, allowing airport operations to return to “normal.”
For example, use of the quarantine entry system and health declaration forms, saliva-based PCR tests and quarantine taxis, as well as check-in calls and electronic surveillance of recent arrivals, will all be phased out from Oct. 13, he said.
Instead, Wang said, travelers will be given four free COVID-19 rapid tests upon arrival in Taiwan, which are to be used at the airport or on the first day after arrival and every two days after that.
As long as they have no COVID-19 symptoms, travelers arriving from Oct. 13 will also be able to take public transportation, including to go home from the airport, according to the CECC.
Meanwhile, during the seven days after their arrival, people will not face restrictions on going out, attending work or school, or eating in restaurants, as long as they have had a negative rapid test result in the last two days, Wang said.
However, authorities have yet to decide if the 0+7 policy will apply to migrant workers and foreign students beginning Oct. 13. The labor and education ministries previously said they are still studying the issue.
Restrictions, mask mandate
In terms of what’s not allowed, CECC official Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said that people should generally avoid visiting relatives who have been admitted to hospital during the seven days after their arrival.
Exceptions to this rule, however, include cases where a person must accompany a relative undergoing surgery, go with them to an emergency room, ICU or hospice, or if the relative’s health has rapidly deteriorated, Lo added.
Despite the easing of the rules, Wang said that arriving travelers will be reminded to comply with Taiwan’s mask mandate, adding that authorities do not rule out fining people who “intentionally or repeatedly” ignore the rules.
Currently, people in Taiwan are required to wear a mask at all times when they are outside their homes. Exemptions apply only when “exercising,” eating, participating in water-related activities, and taking individual or group photos.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel