TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday (Aug. 31) announced that effective Thursday (Sept. 1), passengers arriving at the four major airports, Taoyuan Airport, Songshan Airport, Kaohsiung Airport, and Taichung Airport, can drive themselves to their quarantine destination, but cannot use a rental car.
During a press conference that afternoon, CECC head Victor Wang (王必勝) said that inbound passengers can drive themselves to their quarantine facility. They must adhere to CECC epidemic regulations and follow the designated route at the airport to a special parking lot for arriving passengers and drive to their quarantine location.
The CECC has enacted the new policy in response to the recent increase of the weekly inbound passenger quota to 50,000, the increasing demand for autonomy by returning Taiwanese passengers, and to boost each airport's service capacity. Each airport has designated areas where the passengers' vehicles should be parked and set up special queuing lanes for inbound travelers.
Notices will be placed along the way to guide passengers on where to pick up the car at the parking lot. Currently, these locations are as follows:
Taoyuan Airport
Terminal 1 - Parking Lot 2
Terminal 2 - Parking Lot 4
Songshan Airport
No. 1 and No. 2 outdoor parking lots.
Kaohsiung Airport
Parking lot in front of the international terminal (Areas C and D).
Taichung Airport
Underground B1 parking lot (self-driving parking area).
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) reminds the public that people who drive themselves should wear a mask throughout the whole process and pay attention to hand hygiene and disinfection when making payments. Importantly, passengers arriving from overseas cannot drive a rental car.
After picking up their car, they should drive to their quarantine facility as soon as possible. However, they should not stop in other places or come in contact with other people along the way.
Upon arrival at the quarantine facility, travelers should disinfect both the inside and outside of their vehicle and wipe and disinfect areas they touched, such as door handles, steering wheels, seats, seat belts, and luggage storage areas. The CAA also calls on people returning to Taiwan to implement the epidemic prevention regulations to protect themselves and their families.
