Authorities at Taiwan’s busiest international airport are asking passengers to be patient as the country begins COVID-19 PCR testing of all arrivals. The Central Epidemic Command Center’s announcement on Thursday of expanded testing at airports will go into effect at noon on Friday.
Under the new regulations, most passengers arriving at Taiwan’s airports will have to take a PCR test at the airport, before continuing to a quarantine hotel or government quarantine center. That doesn’t apply to passengers from seven high-risk countries, namely the United Kingdom, Israel, Brazil, Peru, India, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. Passengers from those countries will undergo a PCR test upon arrival at a government quarantine center.
The President and CEO of Taoyuan International Airport Corporation, Jerry Dann, says that more than 120 staff will direct passengers to testing stations and ensure orderly queuing. He says each test should take three to four minutes, and results will come after 24 hours. Passengers will not need to wait for their test result at the airport.
Dann says that airport authorities held a meeting on Thursday afternoon with the CDC, aviation companies, and authorities from immigration and security. He says arranging everything has been a big challenge. Dann says terminals one and two each have five testing stations. Each testing station can handle five passengers simultaneously. Dann is asking passengers to be patient as airport authorities get the new testing regime up and running.