TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Responding to rising pressure for the easing of COVID-19 border restrictions on business travelers, officials at the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) see late June as the key moment to reach a decision, reports said Friday (June 3).

As several other countries, including Japan and South Korea, have loosened restrictions, business circles in Taiwan have called for similar measures to encourage inbound travel and sign contracts, visit factories, and promote investments.

Shortening the currently predominant “7+7” formula of seven days of quarantine followed by seven days of self-health monitoring to a “3+4” system is the most likely measure by the end of June, CNA reported.

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said it would announce gradual relaxation measures during the month, though not a complete abolition of the quarantine requirement.

MOEA officials said that according to their discussions with the CECC, the COVID situation in late June would prove a crucial factor in deciding whether to go ahead with the easing of border restrictions, per CNA.

The recent COVID surge reached a peak of almost 95,000 local infections per day in late May, but failed to reach 100,000 despite earlier predictions. The single-day total has since varied between 60,000 and more than 90,000, with 76,514 reported Friday. The number of deaths confirmed by the CECC has stayed close to the record number of 145 per day.