Taiwan lifts COVID-19 quarantine requirement for travelers

Taiwan on Thursday lifted its COVID-19 quarantine requirement for travelers to remain in isolation for three days, in a move aimed at reviving its pandemic-battered tourism industry.

Along with the quarantine relaxation, Taiwan also increased the daily limit on arrivals from 60,000 to 150,000, under the second stage of the island’s policy to ease restrictions on travelers imposed in March 2020.

Travelers pose for photos ahead of departure from Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport on Oct. 13, 2022. (Central News Agency/Kyodo)

While home quarantine is no longer required, arriving travelers must still monitor their health for seven days and avoid coming into contact with people at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 such as the elderly and children.

The Central Epidemic Command Center announced the policy last month. Under the first stage from Sept. 29, travelers were no longer required to take saliva-based PCR tests at the airport.

The easing of quarantine measures has raised hopes for an increase in foreign tourists, including from Japan, where Taiwan is regarded as a popular destination.

The quarantine requirement was removed despite high numbers of daily coronavirus cases, which have fluctuated between 20,000 and 94,000 since May this year.

As of Thursday, the cumulative number of confirmed cases had reached nearly 7 million, including more than 11,000 deaths.

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