A government minister says Taiwan’s 10-day quarantine requirement for incoming travelers will stay in place for the foreseeable future. Minister Tung Chen-yuan says he has spoken with Taiwan’s health minister about the issue.
Taiwan’s strict containment measures remain in place while other countries open their borders. On Monday, New Zealand allowed tourists from more than 60 countries to enter for the first time in more than two years.
Last week, Taiwan shortened the length of quarantine for contacts of people with COVID to just three days at home, followed by four days without dining out or going to crowded places.
But Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said at the time that Taiwan is not shortening the length of quarantine for travelers. He says that’s because he is worried about new and more contagious variants or subvariants of COVID entering the country. Authorities are also grappling with a rapid rise in the number of infections right now, and Chen says loosening border restrictions could make the situation harder to control.