Taiwan: Officials extend gathering and business controls through at least July 12 /update 45

Event

Officials have extended Level 3 restrictions throughout Taiwan through at least July 12 amid ongoing COVID-19 activity. Under the controls, authorities ask residents to avoid all nonessential movements and gatherings. Individuals must wear facemasks in all public places. Officials limit indoor gatherings to five people and outdoor gatherings to 10 people. Many nonessential businesses, including bars, clubs, saunas, and internet cafes, are closed. Authorities have also implemented restrictions, including a one-hour time limit and ID number-based visits on weekends, for markets. Operating businesses must ensure social distancing by allowing employees to work from home when possible and staggering working hours. In-person classes remain suspended at schools. Individuals and organizations that violate business closure orders and restrictions on large gatherings face fines of up to NTD 300,000. Individuals violating facemask requirements may face fines up to NTD 15,000.

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. Authorities have also halted on-site eating and drinking in some locations, including Hsinchu, New Taipei, Pingtu, Taipei, and Yilan.

Flights to mainland China remain restricted indefinitely; airlines can only fly to airports in Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (SHA, PVG), Xiamen (XMN), and Chengdu (CTU). Taiwan continues to ban cruise ships.

Travel Restrictions
Foreign nationals without valid Alien Resident Certificates cannot enter Taiwan through at least July 12. Authorities also prevent noncitizens from international transit flights during the same period. Officials may grant exceptions to the entry ban for emergency humanitarian purposes.

Officials require most inbound passengers, including Taiwan citizens and residents, to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) COVID-19 test obtained within three business days of departure. Exceptions to testing requirements are possible in emergencies, but affected passengers 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; people undergoing self-quarantine must take a PCR test one day before the quarantine ends. All incoming passengers must submit proof that they have suitable accommodations for quarantine and sign an affidavit confirming they meet the one-person-per-residence requirement. All inbound travelers who had COVID-19 symptoms within the previous 14 days must undergo a PCR test upon arrival and 24 hours later. Officials require these travelers to stay at a government quarantine facility until both results are available and see a physician before completing the remainder of the quarantine period. Arrivals with recent travel history in Brazil and India remain subject to the mandatory 14-day quarantine in government-run facilities. Authorities require some inbound arrivals 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. Passengers who have been to the UK, South Africa, eSwatini, India, or Brazil within 14 days of arrival must follow self-health management procedures for seven days after self-quarantine. Passengers who do not accurately report their travel and medical history could face fines of up to NTD 150,000.

Arrivals from designated low-risk countries and territories 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 June 23, the CECC classifies Australia, Macau, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Singapore, and Vietnam as low-risk and Bhutan, Fiji, and Hong Kong as medium-risk locations.

Advice

Confirm entry requirements before traveling to Taiwan. Follow all official instructions. Make allowances for business disruptions. 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