Taiwan’s Health Minister Chen Shih-chung says that Taiwan will shorten its mandatory quarantine period in the coming weeks. And not just that: in a recent interview, Chen said Taiwan has more extensive plans to reopen the borders to all travelers.
At the moment, anyone coming into Taiwan must undergo a 14-day quarantine. And that’s if you’re allowed in at all. Only people with Taiwanese citizenship, valid visas, or special clearance can enter Taiwan’s borders.
But that could all be set to change. Taiwan’s Health Minister Chen Shih-chung has teased that the government plans on shortening the mandatory quarantine period to 10 days after the Lantern Festival, which is this Tuesday.
In an interview, Chen said that the next step will be allowing incoming travelers to quarantine entirely at home. Currently, travelers have to spend at least some time in a quarantine hotel or government facility. After that, Chen says Taiwan will open up to business travelers. These new rules are supposed to take effect by mid-March.
Chen also says that he has begun talking to travel agencies about opening up Taiwan for tourism. However, something like that isn’t entirely up to Taiwan. Easing COVID-19 restrictions also depends on the state of the pandemic around the world. After all, with many of Taiwan’s elderly people still unvaccinated, one wrong step could have deadly consequences.