Health minister Chen Shih-chung says that travelers who have received the Chinese vaccines Sinovac and Sinopharm can record these doses on their vaccine cards in Taiwan. At a meeting on Tuesday, Chen added that this will only serve as proof that the card-holder has received the vaccines, and it is still not determined whether Taiwan accepts their validity.
Chen also says that if a vaccine passport is developed in the future, it is still not guaranteed that the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines can be listed on this official document.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je says that people who have received Taiwan's Medigen vaccine and want to travel abroad must abide by the rules of other countries and those set by Chen. Taiwan is still working to get the US and other nations to recognize Taiwan's Medigen vaccine.
Some people are making travel plans for the Lunar New Year which falls at the beginning of February. They hope that people who have been fully vaccinated will be able to return to Taiwan after their vacations and face a less strict quarantine period, similar to the regulations for flight crews.
Currently, crew members who are fully vaccinated only have to quarantine at home for five days, and then undergo nine days of self-health management. In contrast, most people returning to Taiwan must pay to spend two weeks at quarantine centers or hotels, followed by another week of self-health management.
Chen says that people considering traveling outside of Taiwan must seriously consider their immune resistance and risk of spreading the virus. He also says that flight crews have different quarantine regulations because the global economy depends on their ability to travel. Therefore, the general population cannot receive the same exemptions.