Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) Most people flying into Taiwan in the weeks leading up to the 2022 Lunar New Year holiday will only have to spend 10 days in a designated COVID-19 quarantine hotel instead of the current 14 days, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Monday.
Under the new protocols, the quarantine period for all arrivals will remain 14 days, but only 10 of those will have to be in a quarantine hotel or government-run group quarantine facility while the other four can be spent at a residence in Taiwan, the CECC said.
At present, all 14 days in quarantine must be spent in designated hotels or group quarantine facilities.
The relaxed rules will apply to travelers arriving from non-high-risk countries between Dec. 14, 2021, and Feb. 14, 2022. They will still be required to foot the bill for their 10 days of accommodation.
Travelers who have been to or transited through "key high-risk countries" in the 14 days before entering Taiwan will still be required to be quarantined at a government-run facility for 14 days, where they can stay for free, the CECC said.
The countries currently listed as "key high-risk countries" are India, the United Kingdom, and Myanmar.
Taiwan decided to adjust the rules in anticipation of more arrivals from abroad for the Chinese New Year holiday from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6, which could strain the availability for rooms in quarantine hotels, according to the CECC.
An estimated 40,000 people are expected to arrive in Taiwan for the Lunar New Year holiday, the CECC said, citing estimates by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Overseas Community Affairs Council, with 26,000 quarantine rooms available.
The CECC felt the quarantine requirements could be slightly relaxed because COVID-19 seems to be under control domestically and vaccination rates have risen in many countries, it said.
According to the CECC, each arriving traveler will still generally have to be quarantined in a separate room.
In a departure from current practice, however, family members or co-residents who enter Taiwan on the same day can stay in the same hotel or group quarantine facility room, depending on the size of the room.
One room per person is also the general principle for the four-day home quarantine, but family members who have been fully vaccinated at least 14 days previously will be allowed to stay in the same room as the person arriving from abroad.
People who stay together in a room in a quarantine hotel or government facility for the first 10 days will be allowed to stay in the same residence for the final four days of the isolation period, the CECC said.
Individuals arriving from countries other than high-risk countries must undergo one polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test upon arrival and one more PCR test on the ninth or 10th day of the quarantine period, to be arranged by the local government.
Individuals who test negative can return to their home or a relative's residence on the 11th day of their quarantine period and undergo the last four days of their quarantine at that residence.
They will have to get another PCR test one day before ending their quarantine period.
