TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said on Friday (June 10) that there should not be mandatory quarantine for arrivals after the government eases border restrictions for tourists.
Speaking at a tea gathering with Taiwanese reporters in Japan, Hsieh declined to talk about a timetable for when the country reopens to overseas tourists. He added that relaxing controls when the pandemic curve is on the rise or at its peak is impossible.
"Once we decide to reopen, however, the seven-day quarantine period rule should be scrapped, or it will cause great inconvenience to overseas tourists," Hsieh said.
Meanwhile, Japan has doubled its cap on overseas arrivals to 20,000 a day from June 1 and has conditionally allowed some package tourists from select nations starting Friday (June 10). Taiwan is among the 98 eligible countries.
The Central Epidemic Command Center's head and health minister, Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), said on Friday the country's quarantine rules for travelers have not changed and the quarantine period for international arrivals remains seven days.