Taiwan lifted all its COVID-19 entry restrictions on Thursday, allowing tourists unfettered access the self-ruled island after over 2 1/2 years of border controls.
Hong Kong and Taiwan, together with mainland China, long
required most visitors to complete a mandatory quarantine period throughout the
pandemic, even as most countries reopened their borders to tourists.
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 arriving, and obtain a negative result on a rapid antigen test the day
they arrive. If people want to go out during the weeklong monitoring period,
they need a negative test from either that day or the day before.
There are also no longer any restrictions on certain
nationalities being allowed to enter Taiwan.
Dozens of visitors from Thailand were among the first to
arrive under the new rules at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport, which
serves the capital Taipei, on a Tiger Air flight that landed shortly after
midnight.
Tourists like 32-year-old Mac Chientachakul and his parents
were excited to visit the island.
“Hot pot is my favorite dish in Taiwan,” Chientachakul said.
“It’s my first thing to do ... I miss it so much.”
Sonia Chang, a travel agent, said the changes are good for
both the the tourism industry and Taiwanese residents, who can now travel
abroad without having to quarantine when they get home.
Valaisurang Bhaedhayajibh, a 53-year-old business
development director of a design firm, called the new rules convenient.
“We don’t have to do the test before coming here, and also
after arriving,” he said. “We are still required to do the self-test every two
days, and everything has been provided” by Taiwanese authorities, including the
rapid testing kits.
At a welcome ceremony in the Taoyuan airport’s arrival hall,
the travelers from Thailand were met by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s director,
Chang Shi-chung, who handed out gifts.
Taiwan’s tourism bureau estimated that a total of 244
tourists from some 20 tour groups will arrive Thursday.
With both Hong Kong and Taiwan getting rid of restrictions
and welcoming back tourists, mainland China remains one of the few places in
the world adamant in keeping borders closed and sticking to a “zero-COVID”
strategy to stamp out the virus. Hong Kong ended its mandatory quarantine
policy for inbound travelers late last month, requiring just a three-day
self-monitoring period.