Taiwan did not extend the validity of the pilot visa-free program for Russians vezd-oslableny-a2c95c1.jpg” alt=”Tourists flock to Taiwan as entry restrictions eased” />
Taiwan lifted all entry restrictions due to COVID-19 on Thursday , giving tourists unimpeded access to the self-governing island after more than two and a half years of border control.
Taiwan announced that starting October 13, it will lift the mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for people arriving from overseas. The Epidemic Control Center has announced that the previous weekly requirement will be replaced by a seven-day self-monitoring period.
Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as mainland China, have required most visitors to undergo a mandatory quarantine period throughout the pandemic, even as most countries have reopened their borders to tourists.
And so , after almost 2 years, the island officials decided to significantly weaken them.
Visitors are no longer required to quarantine upon entry or take any PCR tests. Instead, they will need to monitor their health for a week after arrival and receive a negative rapid antigen test result on the day of arrival. If people want to go outside during the weekly monitoring period, they need a negative test either on that day or the day before.
However, it is not yet known what punishment a tourist will face in case of violation of this requirements.
Note that the local government also refused to rank countries according to the degree of spread of the coronavirus. Thus, the related entry restrictions were also lifted.
It is worth recalling that in September, Taiwan did not extend the validity of the pilot visa-free program for Russians, which was introduced in 2018 .
As both Hong Kong and Taiwan ease restrictions and welcome the return of tourists, mainland China remains one of the few places in the world to adamantly maintain closed borders and a zero-COVID strategy for eradication of the virus. Late last month, Hong Kong lifted its mandatory quarantine policy for incoming travelers, requiring only a three-day self-monitoring period.