Iftar Timings Mar 19 - Ramazan 8

Lahore
LHR
06:14 PM
Karachi
KHI
06:43 PM
Islamabad
ISB
06:19 PM
Peshawar
PWR
06:23 PM
Quetta
QTA
06:43 PM

News

Taiwan to scrap Covid quarantine for travellers in October

September 22, 2022 07:04 PM


Taiwan will fully reopen its borders by ending mandatory Covid quarantine for arrivals next month, the government said Thursday.

The island has largely kept its borders closed and implemented strict quarantine rules throughout the coronavirus pandemic, keeping infection numbers low at the expense of being internationally cut off.

The government started to move away from its zero-Covid strategy in April towards accepting endemicity once its population was well vaccinated.

From October 13, authorities will eliminate quarantine and ask arrivals to self-monitor for seven days, cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng quoted Premier Su Tseng-chang as saying on Thursday.

Visitors currently have to undergo a mandatory three-day hotel quarantine, followed by four days of self-monitoring during which they are expected to avoid crowded places.

Visa-free travel for visitors from certain countries will resume from September 29 and the ban on tour groups will be lifted in October, Lo added.

The new measures will allow "the public to fully return to normal life, Taiwan to open its door to welcome back tourists and all industries to be more active and prosperous", he said.

But some tourism industry experts said Taiwan would still struggle to compete for visitors with other destinations in the region because of its self-monitoring rules.

"The whole world except China and Taiwan have opened up, and Taiwan has already been too slow and too late," said Robert Kao, an expert on tourism management and operations at Tainan University of Technology.

He described the seven days of self-monitoring with no quarantine as "meaningless", and added that "tourists would opt for countries like Japan or South Korea where there are no such restrictions".

Taiwan saw nearly six million domestic coronavirus infections this year, although over 99 percent of the infected had mild or no symptoms, with a fatality rate of 0.16 percent, according to official data.

The Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's China affairs ministry, also announced Thursday that Chinese, Hong Kong and Macau residents could apply for entry to visit relatives, attend funerals or handle inheritances from September 29.

Crew members and technicians of Chinese airlines and shipping companies are also eligible to enter.

Taiwan has imposed tighter immigration restrictions on residents from China and the two Chinese territories, reflecting lingering political tensions with Beijing since the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war.

 

 



Most Read

  1. Google invites Pakistan’s youngest vlogger Shiraz and sister Muskan to USA Google invites Pakistan’s youngest vlogger Shiraz and sister Muskan to USA
  2. Well-known builder Asif Razaq Deenar arrested at Karachi airport Well-known builder Asif Razaq Deenar arrested at Karachi airport
  3. Islamabad players celebrate victory with Palestine flag Islamabad players celebrate victory with Palestine flag
  4. Ahmed Baig delivers Pakistan's first International Golf Victory in more than 25 years Ahmed Baig delivers Pakistan's first International Golf Victory in more than 25 years
  5. Religious Brotherhood: Tharparkar’s Hindu facilitiates Muslim in Ramazan Religious Brotherhood: Tharparkar’s Hindu facilitiates Muslim in Ramazan
  6. Caught in the act: Corrupt cops fired as video goes viral Caught in the act: Corrupt cops fired as video goes viral

Opinion

  1. 1947 TO FORM 47
    1947 TO FORM 47

    By Dr Asif Channer

  2. Beijing wants to further highlight industrial sector in its country and take scientific innovation to new heights....
    Beijing wants to further highlight industrial sector in its country and take scientific innovation to new heights....

    By Ali Ramay

  3. Global race: China will reduce its unnecessary expenses
    Global race: China will reduce its unnecessary expenses

    By Ali Ramay

  4. Channer Pir: The Great Saint of Cholistan
    Channer Pir: The Great Saint of Cholistan

    By Dr Asif Channer

  5. Literate the Religious Illiterate
    Literate the Religious Illiterate

    By Dr Asif Channer

  6. From White Elephant to Success: BRI Project Witnesses Surge in Ridership
    From White Elephant to Success: BRI Project Witnesses Surge in Ridership

    By Ali Ramay