Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) says passengers arriving in Taiwan from China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau, will have to take a COVID-19 PCR test. The new policy will be effective from January 1 to January 31, 2023.
Japan and numerous other countries plan to strengthen pandemic prevention measures regarding arrivals from China. Taiwanese pandemic authorities first said on Tuesday that the country does not plan to change entry regulations for passengers coming from China. But on Wednesday, CECC head Wang Pi-sheng (王必勝) announced the new policy requiring saliva PCR tests. Passengers arriving from countries other than China are no longer required to take PCR tests, but are instead issued rapid COVID-19 test kits.
New rules will also affect cross-border connections called the Three Mini Links which connect Taiwan’s outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu with China’s Fujian Province. The links are slated to open in a limited capacity next month, ahead of the Lunar New Year.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) says Taiwan does not yet allow tourist travel from China, but the country still expects around 30,000 arrivals for the holiday season in late January.