Taiwan: Authorities extend domestic COVID-19 curbs through Jan. 24 /update 61

Event

Taiwan is extending ongoing Level-2 rules until at least Jan. 24 amid ongoing COVID-19 concerns. Officials have tightened facemask requirements. Individuals are now required to wear a facemask while exercising, taking photos, filming, singing or delivering speeches, as well as activities involving conversations with others. Other international travel curbs continue.

Domestic Measures
Businesses must continue to limit capacity to one person per 2.25 square meters (24 square feet) indoors and one person per square meter (10 square feet) outdoors. Recreational venues with hostess services may operate. Companies must continue to permit employees to work from home when possible and stagger working hours. Officials have mandated workers in at least 24 sectors such as childcare facilities, recreational venues like dance halls and swimming complexes, and educational institutions to complete vaccination at least two weeks before Jan. 1 or undergo routine COVID-19 testing thereafter.

Facemasks remain mandatory in public. Exemptions include people engaging in water activities, workers in outdoor spaces in specific industries, and during activities approved by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) like filming for TV shows and sports competitions. People visiting forests, mountains, and beaches as well as those eating or drinking outdoors, on transport services, or in permitted venues like cinemas may also forego facemasks. Exempt individuals must wear masks if crowds materialize nearby or if social distancing is impossible. Commercial and food establishments must implement temperature-taking protocols and collect visitors' contact information. Local governments can adjust measures depending on COVID-19 activity. Individuals and organizations that violate business closure orders and gatherings rules face fines of up to NTD 300,000. Individuals violating facemask requirements may face fines up to NTD 15,000.

International Travel Restrictions
Officials continue to ban most foreign nationals without valid Alien Resident Certificates from entering Taiwan. Noncitizens are also barred from boarding international transit flights except for emergency humanitarian reasons. Permitted migrant workers and foreign spouses, and children of Taiwanese citizens and residents can apply for a visa to enter the island. Taiwan is imposing entry restrictions for high-risk locations due to concerns over the Omicron COVID-19 variant. As of Jan. 10, affected countries include Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Modified quarantine rules for inbound passengers are in place through Feb. 14. The quarantine period is 14 days, followed by seven days of self-monitoring. Arrivals with travel or transit history in the past 14 days in high-risk locations must quarantine for two weeks in specific group facilities. Those from other locations may opt for other arrangements as follows.

Under Program A, individuals must spend 14 days in hotel quarantine. Those under Program B may quarantine for 10 days in a hotel and four days at home. Fully vaccinated people may quarantine for seven days in a self-paid government facility or hotel, and seven days at home under Program C; arrivals from Feb. 6 may not avail of government facilities. Rooms at government facilities cost NTD 1,500 per night. Home quarantine is only applicable if all other household members are fully vaccinated. Inbound passengers opting for home quarantine must submit proof that they have suitable accommodations no more than 48 hours before departure. Passengers who do not accurately report their travel and medical history could face fines of up to NTD 150,000.

All arrivals must submit an online Quarantine System for Entry form within 48 hours before entry. They must also hold negative results of a COVID-19 PCR test taken within two days before departure. Additional tests are compulsory upon arrival, at the end of facility quarantine, and during and at the end of home quarantine. Those seeking exemptions to pre-departure testing for emergencies must provide supporting documents or face penalties; they must pay for an on-arrival COVID-19 test. Inbound travelers who had COVID-19 symptoms within the previous 14 days must undergo a PCR test upon arrival and 24 hours later.

Enhanced screening could cause delays at transport hubs across the island, especially at airports and main railway stations. 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.

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