TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The country's centralized quarantine facilities are gearing up for an expected surge in COVID-19 cases as Taiwan prepares to relax its border rules next Monday (March 7).

The facilities will be reserved for asymptomatic cases and those with mild symptoms and will accommodate a great number of contacts subject to mandatory isolation in the event of a major outbreak, said Victor Wang (王必勝), head of the Hospital and Social Welfare Organizations Administration Commission and a member of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Reinforced quarantine centers will be equipped with more medical personnel, and people who test positive will be staying in an area that is separate from contacts to reduce the transmission risk, CNA quoted Wang as saying.

While capacity is sufficient, Wang said migrant workers and international students will not be eligible to stay in such facilities from now on in order to make room for a potential spike in cases. Currently, 3,800 of Taiwan’s 5,000 centralized isolation units are occupied, with the COVID task force considering boosting the capacity to 7,000 units in a month.

The mandatory quarantine for arrivals will be shortened from 14 to 10 days starting March 7, and business travelers will be allowed to enter, the CECC announced last month. Acknowledging that a quarantine of fewer than five days is more appealing, CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) noted Thursday (March 3) that such an arrangement could entail greater infection risk control and needs further assessment.