Taiwan: Authorities in multiple areas of northern Taiwan impose business restrictions from May 15 amid increased COVID-19 activity /update 40

Event

Officials in northern Taiwan are imposing business restrictions in response to an increase in COVID-19 cases. Effective 00:01 May 15 until further notice, authorities in Taipei and New Taipei City have ordered the closure of several classes of nonessential businesses, including bars, clubs, saunas, and internet cafes. These types of businesses are also ordered to close in Hsinchu, Keelung, Taoyuan, and Yilan from 18:00 May 15 until at least June 8. Some tourist sites in the region have also been closed as a precaution. The government could impose further controls nationwide in the coming days. Officials have warned that stringent Level 3 measures, which would involve widespread business closures and localized transport restrictions, could be introduced if COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise.

Tightened gathering restrictions will remain in force throughout the island until at least June 8. The government restricts all outdoor events of more than 500 people and indoor activities of 100 or more people. Authorities only allow such events if organizers submit a disease prevention plan and obtain permission from local authorities; organizers must also provide designated seating that ensures social distancing between attendees, enforce facemask use, prohibit food and beverage consumption on site, and collect attendee contact information. Officials have banned eating and drinking on public transport, including trains, buses, ferries, and domestic flights. Taiwan Railways Administration has suspended the sale of standing-only train tickets. Authorities have also restricted visits to patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities to one full-time caregiver per patient.

Other social distancing measures also remain in effect. Companies must ensure customers can stay 1.5 meters (5 feet) away from others while inside establishments; they must also require patrons to wear facemasks when distancing is impossible, implement temperature checks, and participate in contact tracing efforts. A facemask use directive is in force for healthcare facilities, business and office locations, public transport, restaurants and bars, educational centers, sports and exhibition sites, entertainment venues, and religious spaces. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications requires passengers at transport hubs, on intercity buses, and at highway rest stops and customers at Chunghwa Post offices to wear facemasks. Violators could face fines of NTD 3,000-15,000 (USD 107-536). Officials also require facemasks in all public venues in Taoyuan through at least May 31. Thermal scanners remain in place at rail stations, airports, ports, post offices, and bus stations. Staff will deny entry to any passenger with a fever. Enhanced screening could cause delays at transport hubs across the island, especially at airports and main railway stations.

Travel Restrictions
The government continues to ban entry for most nonresident foreigners and inbound travel for tourism and social purposes. Officials allow mainland Chinese spouses of Taiwan citizens and resident foreign nationals and their underage children to enter the island, provided they hold reunion permits. Authorities may also authorize travel from mainland China for business purposes, students, and children under six years old with residence permits along with a parent. Residents from Hong Kong and Macau can apply for entry for humanitarian and emergency reasons, to fulfill contractual agreements, or for transfers within multinational companies. Authorities also permit travel for foreign nationals for diplomatic, humanitarian, medical, and contractual reasons. Visitors in these categories must apply for a special entry permit with their local Taiwan representative office. A ban on foreign nationals who have been in India within 14 days of arrival remains in place.

Flights to mainland China remain restricted indefinitely; airlines are only allowed to fly to airports in Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (SHA, PVG), Xiamen (XMN), and Chengdu (CTU). Transit through Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is possible, provided travelers have a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure, enter and leave on the same airline, and limit the stopover to less than eight hours. Taiwan continues to ban cruise ships.

The government allows essential short-term business travel for specific activities from countries and regions on the Central Epidemic Command Center's (CECC) low- and medium-risk locations. Travelers must not have visited a high-risk location within 14 days of departure and plan to stay in Taiwan for less than three months. Short-term business travelers also need to provide documentation from a local entity detailing the reason for the trip, a complete travel itinerary, a disease prevention plan, and the results of a COVID-19 test to apply for reduced quarantine in advance of their travel. Arrivals from low-risk countries may leave isolation on the fifth day of quarantine, while travelers from medium-risk countries may exit quarantine on the seventh day. After leaving quarantine, business travelers must practice self-health management until the 21st day after entry. As of May 15, the CECC classifies Australia, Brunei, Macao, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, and Palau as low risk. Bhutan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and Fiji are designated medium-risk locations.

Officials require most inbound passengers, including Taiwan citizens and residents, to present a negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test obtained within three business days before departure. Exceptions to testing requirements are possible in emergency situations, but passengers receiving them must pay for a COVID-19 test upon arrival. All travelers seeking exemptions to pre-departure testing must provide supporting documents or face penalties.

Most arrivals must self-quarantine for 14 days. All incoming passengers must submit proof that they have suitable accommodations for quarantine in Taiwan. Travelers planning to quarantine at home must sign an affidavit confirming they meet the one-person-per-residence requirements. All inbound travelers who had COVID-19 symptoms within the previous 14 days must undergo a PCR test upon arrival and a second such test 24 hours later. Officials require these travelers to stay at a government quarantine facility until both results are available and to see a physician before completing the remainder of the quarantine period. Passengers bound for Taiwan who do not accurately report their travel and medical history could face fines of up to NTD 150,000 (USD 5,362).

Authorities require some inbound travelers from Southeast Asian countries to quarantine at government-designated hotels; officials will direct arriving passengers living with people with chronic illnesses, children younger than six years old, or adults older than 65 years old to the facilities. All travelers must pay for a COVID-19 test before their release from quarantine. Passengers who have been to the UK, South Africa, eSwatini, India, or Brazil within 14 days of their arrival in Taiwan must follow self-health management procedures for seven days following their mandatory self-quarantine periods. Arrivals with recent travel history in Brazil and India remain subject to the mandatory 14-day quarantine in government-run facilities.

Advice

Consider postponing travel to Taiwan if affected by travel restrictions. Confirm entry requirements before traveling to Taiwan. Follow all official instructions. Allow additional time for health screenings when arriving in or traveling across Taiwan. Consider delaying travel if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny, delays, and quarantine.

Resources

Taiwan Centers for Disease Control
Ministry of Health and Welfare Quarantine System for Entry