New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi is calling on the central government to consider reinstating a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a hotel or center for all arrivals to Taiwan. That’s as Taiwan reports cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
In November, the government announced it would start giving arrivals to Taiwan other options for how to quarantine. These are the so-called “7+7” and “10+4” options. Those who opt for the 7+7 option stay for just seven days at a quarantine hotel or facility before heading to a private home for seven more days of quarantine. The 10+4 option, meanwhile, has arrivals staying in a hotel or facility for ten days, with an additional four days of home quarantine at the end. In order to opt for one of these alternative quarantine arrangements, arrivals must test negative for COVID-19 at various points.
But New Taipei’s mayor says that in addition to speeding up Taiwan’s booster shot program, the central government should reevaluate these alternative quarantine arrangements. Any decision will need to be made quickly, as Taiwan expects a wave of its citizens to return home over the coming weeks, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.