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Foreign students arriving Feb. 15-28 can't quarantine at Taiwan government facilities

Taiwan reserving quarantine capacity for local cases as clusters grow

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COVID checkpoint at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.

COVID checkpoint at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — International students and researchers scheduled to arrive in Taiwan between Feb. 15 and 28 can only quarantine at designated hotels amid strained isolation capacity.

The Ministry of Education issued an urgent notice to universities on Thursday (Jan. 27) stating centralized quarantine centers will prioritize domestic needs in light of a spike in COVID-19 infections. This means new applications to stay at such facilities will be rejected, and successful applications will be revoked, per CNA.

Schools are asked to inform affected students and educational staff and make adjustments accordingly. Those who fail to change their quarantine plans five days prior to their arrival will be denied entry.

Taiwan is expected to see the first arrivals of foreign students on Feb. 16. Colleges and universities have expressed worry that students will be burdened with hiked quarantine costs as hotels usually charge more than centralized centers, the fee of which is NT$2,000 (US$71.84) per day.

Some schools are requisitioning dorms for the purpose as a contingency measure, Liberty Times wrote.

Taiwan is braced for more cases amid fresh COVID outbreaks and an influx of returnees for the Lunar New Year. During the past week, the country recorded 532 cases, including 252 local infections.