TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ferry services between Taiwan’s outlying island of Kinmen and the Chinese city of Xiamen started up again Saturday (Jan. 7) after a hiatus of almost three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the current resumption of services with Kinmen and Matsu has been scheduled to last only until Feb. 6, and has been restricted to residents of the two small Taiwanese islands, Chinese spouses, and Chinese students studying in Kinmen. Whether the ships will continue sailing after Feb. 6 has not been decided yet.

The first ship left Kinmen at 10 a.m. for Xiamen after a ceremony attended by Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported. He described the resumption of ferry services as a new beginning in cross-strait exchanges that could allow both sides to build mutual trust and lay the foundation for future contacts.

During the final week of the ferry sailings, MAC will evaluate the performance of the service and consider continuing the service, according to Chiu. He said the COVID levels of Chinese visitors to Taiwan and the risk of African swine fever are factors to be monitored.

Later Saturday, 37 travelers arrived in Kinmen from China on the first incoming ship, with seven, or 18.9%, testing positive for COVID-19, the Liberty Times reported. Everyone arriving in Taiwan from China has to take saliva PCR tests to check for the coronavirus.