TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following the Central Epidemic Command Center's (CECC) approval of a new set of COVID-19 prevention guidelines, it is considering lifting the entry ban on Indonesian migrant workers.

According to an official familiar with the decision, the CECC will restart negotiations with Indonesia on allowing in migrant workers from the nation after a three-month hiatus. However, the exact timing of the measure will depend on pandemic situations in both countries.

The source pointed out that any Indonesian migrant workers wishing to come to Taiwan will be asked to submit proof of a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test issued by a local hospital approved by the Taiwanese government. Once they arrive in the country, they will follow the current quarantine regulations and undergo 14 days of home isolation followed by a seven-day period of self-health monitoring, he explained.

Last December, the CECC announced an indefinite entry ban on migrant workers from Indonesia in response to the spike in coronavirus cases imported from the Southeast Asian country. At the time, Health Minister and CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said the restriction would remain until the situation in Indonesia had improved.

During a phone interview with CNA on Tuesday (March 16), CECC Deputy Chief Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) confirmed the government's intention to gradually bring back Indonesian migrant workers to meet the labor demand. He said he is confident the Ministry of Labor's new COVID-19 guidelines will prevent individuals infected with the coronavirus from entering the country.