A chartered flight carrying 118 Taiwanese evacuees from Indonesia has landed safely in Taiwan. The flight, organized by Taiwan’s chamber of commerce in Indonesia, took off from Jakarta at 5:20 p.m. on Sunday. It landed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at around 11 p.m. the same day.
Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center categorized Indonesia as a “high risk” COVID-19 area in late June, when the country began experiencing a surge in new cases. Daily case figures peaked at over 50,000 new cases a day in mid-July. That prompted many Taiwanese nationals and business people living in Indonesia to try to return to Taiwan.
However, many airlines cancelled flights between Indonesia and Taiwan, while neighboring travel hub countries like Singapore prohibited passengers from Indonesia to transfer through its airports. The sudden restrictions and cancellations left people with few viable travel options to Taiwan from Indonesia.
That’s why the Indonesia Taiwan Chambers of Commerce decided to step in, chartering a flight with Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia.
Upon the passengers’ arrival on Sunday, authorities carried out mandatory COVID-19 testing. Passengers then took transfers to government facilities to undergo 14 days’ quarantine.