Taiwan's women's national football team, including 9 players and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, returned to the country on board a China Airlines charter flight on Tuesday afternoon after competing in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup in India.
After touching down at the Taoyuan International Airport around 5:20 p.m., those who had tested positive for coronavirus, consisting of seven footballers and two supporting staffers, were sent to a government-designated quarantine site while the other 27 members of the group went on to quarantine hotels to undergo compulsory 14-day quarantine.
The decision to bring the team back from Mumbai on a special flight was made by President Tsai Ing-wen (???) on Friday after she was briefed that a large number of the team had tested positive for COVID-19 in India while competing in the Women's Asian Cup.
Held in a COVID-19 bubble from Jan. 20 to Feb. 6, the continental tournament also served as a qualifier for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Though Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, was unable to clinch a spot in the 2023 World Cup after losing in the quarterfinals and then participating in a three-team round-robin playoff for quarterfinal losers, its second-place finish in the playoff allows it to advance to a 10-team inter-confederation playoff tournament scheduled to take place in February 2023 for the final three spots at the World Cup.
In a Facebook post, Taiwan's Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) expressed gratitude toward the government for making the special arrangement to bring the team back.
"Thank you to the countless people who have offered a helping hand to us. Taiwan's women's national football team will continue to do its best to fight for a spot in the World Cup despite the latest setback," the CTFA said in the post.
According to the CTFA, all the players and staffers who tested positive for COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms.
Taiwan's only previous appearance at the Women's World Cup came in its inaugural edition in 1991, when the national team advanced to the quarterfinals.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel