Premier Su Tseng-chang has asked Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) to assess the feasibility of easing Taiwan’s COVID-19 border restrictions. That came on Monday morning, during a Cabinet meeting. Specifically, Su asked the CECC to look into easing Taiwan’s 14-day quarantine rule for arriving travelers and allowing business travelers into the country.
Su says that any changes to COVID-19 policy will take three things into account. First, Taiwan must be able to maintain its medical system’s integrity. Second, it has to ensure a steady supply of COVID-19 antiviral treatments, and third, vaccination rates within Taiwan must continue to climb at a steady pace.
Right now, 82.28% of Taiwan residents have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 75.57% of the population fully vaccinated. In addition, 29.3% have received a booster shot.
In response to the premier’s request, the CECC says that though Taiwan has its local outbreak of COVID-19 under control at the moment, other countries are struggling to contain the virus. It says that imported cases into Taiwan have increased, bringing with it heightened risk of community infections. The CECC says right now, Taiwan should continue focusing on maintaining strict border controls and increasing vaccination rates.