TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on Thursday (Feb. 24) announced the mandatory quarantine for overseas arrivals will be shortened to 10 days and borders will be opened to business travelers starting on March 7.
Following a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, the MOHW said the required quarantine period will be shortened from 14 days to 10 days, followed by seven days of self-health monitoring. It added that foreigners will also be able to apply for special entry permits for business-related activities, such as business visits, investment, execution of business contracts, and applying for jobs.
Businesspeople from China, Hong Kong, and Macau, may also apply for entry upon the invitation by organizations in Taiwan for the execution of business contracts or for internal transfers within multinational corporations.
The MOHW stated that after evaluating the characteristics of the Omicron variant, the level of vaccine coverage, medical capacity preparations, and the loosening of COVID restrictions internationally, the current epidemic alert level will remain in place, but epidemic prevention measures will be moderately relaxed from March 1 to 31.
According to the ministry, epidemic prevention measures that will be relaxed on March 1 include certain mask rules; eating and drinking on Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) and Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR) trains; tasting in stores, supermarkets, and markets; and toasting individual tables at banquets.
Under the new "10 plus 7" quarantine scheme, two PCR tests and four rapid antigen tests will be required. People will also have the option of spending their 10-day quarantine at home, as long as they can isolate in a separate room from other family members that has its own bathroom.
