Taiwanese officials are reporting that Taiwan and the Pacific island nation of Palau are still in talks about a potential “travel bubble”. Palau is one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. The country has so far reported zero cases of COVID-19. Meanwhile, all recent COVID-19 cases in Taiwan have been imported, with the patients kept in isolation.
Last week, Taiwanese government agencies including the Central Epidemic Command Center, the transportation ministry, and the foreign ministry, held a meeting to discuss a travel bubble that would include low-risk countries such as Palau.
Taiwanese media reports, citing what they call “reliable information”, have stated that such a travel bubble would come with caveats. For instance, travel to Palau would be limited to Taiwanese citizens, and anyone with a recent history of other travel or quarantine would be excluded. However, the reports also say that if talks with Palau go smoothly, this travel bubble could be up and running as soon as November.
On Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister Harry Ho-jen Tseng said that it remains to be seen whether the November date is a realistic target. That’s because some in the Palauan government are concerned about their country’s ability to keep COVID-19 out completely if it opens its borders. Tseng said that for this reason, talks with Palau are still underway.
Also on Friday, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said that Palauan medical professionals, too, are concerned about keeping COVID-19 at bay if the country reopens its borders. He said that any country that has done well in keeping the disease out will naturally be strict in protecting its borders.