Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday saw a slight increase in passenger traffic as the government yesterday started allowing business travelers to enter the country under certain conditions.
Taoyuan International Airport Corp (桃園國際機場 公司) estimated that 1,475 passengers arrived in the country yesterday, compared with 868 on Sunday, while 643 departed.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday last week announced that business travelers from 11 low-infection-risk nations and four medium-low infection risk nations would be permitted to enter Taiwan.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Countries and territories in the first group are Australia, Bhutan, Brunei, Fiji, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, New Zealand, Palau, Thailand and Vietnam, while those in the second group are Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.
Business travelers are eligible to visit if they plan to stay in Taiwan for less than three months; are participating in short-term business activities; are departing from countries or areas designated by the CECC as low to medium-low infection risk; and have not visited other countries or areas within 14 days of their departure, the center said.
They should provide a letter of invitation, their travel itinerary and disease prevention plan, as well as a negative polymerase chain reaction test result obtained within three days of boarding their flight when applying for the shortened quarantine period.
Business travelers from low-risk countries would be released from quarantine after five days if they test negative, while those from medium-low infection risk countries would be quarantined for seven days.
More travelers are expected to arrive in the next two months as foreign students from low-infection risk counties are allowed to enter.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who also heads the center, said in a media interview on Sunday that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown no signs of slowing in other countries.
However, the center is likely to allow travel to and from island nations or territories, he said.
Using the US as an example, Chen said it would be difficult to limit travel to certain cities in the US, but the CECC might consider opening up travel to Guam and other island territories.
Chen said that he is deeply concerned that the public has become less observant of wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
To reopen the nation’s border, at least 80 percent of the population needs to comply with the government’s disease prevention policy, he said.
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