Taiwan ends COVID-19 quarantine, tourists are welcome back

Last updated on November 4th, 2022 at 05:18 am

Taiwan’s mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for new arrivals will end on October 13 and tourists will be welcome back, the government said on Thursday, September 29. This is a big step toward reopening to the rest of the world.

Taiwan kept some of its entry and quarantine rules even as most of the rest of Asia loosened or got rid of them. However, in June, it cut the number of days new arrivals had to stay in isolation from seven to three.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been 6.3 million cases in Taiwan. The more contagious Omicron variant is to blame. Since more than 98% of those infected have no symptoms or only mild ones, the government has loosened rules in its “new Taiwan model.”

Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng told reporters that borders should be opened again because most people have been vaccinated and the pandemic has been stopped at home.

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Tourists will be able to return, but new arrivals will still need to have their health checked and take quick tests for seven days.

The government had said before that it wanted to open again on October 13.

On Thursday, a number of other changes went into effect, including the end of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for new arrivals and the return of visa-free entry for people from all countries that had that status before.

During the pandemic, Taiwanese citizens and foreign residents were not told they couldn’t leave and then come back, but they were told they had to stay in their homes or hotels for up to two weeks to be safe.