Taiwan will no longer require travelers from the Philippines to stay in Isolation Facilities

Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) Travelers arriving in Taiwan from the Philippines will no longer be required to quarantine in a designated facility, with effect from next week, as the pace of the pandemic has slowed in that country, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday.

Starting Nov. 9, once the arriving passengers from the Philippines have no symptoms of the disease, they can undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine and one-week self-health management at home, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, said at a news briefing.

Furthermore, the requirement of a COVID-19 test at the end of the quarantine period will also be lifted, once the travelers from the Philippines have no symptoms of the disease, Chen said.

Since Sept. 24 when Taiwan implemented mandatory COVID-19 testing of all passengers from the Philippines, 1,294 travelers from that country have been tested on arrival, Chen said, citing data valid as of Tuesday. Of the 1,268 who had no symptoms, nine tested positive before the end of their 14-day quarantine period, he added.

The revised protocols by the CECC are based on a slowdown in the COVID-19 rate in the Philippines after a peak in mid-August, Chen said.

He issued a reminder, however, that travelers to Taiwan who develop COVID-19 symptoms before their arrival must inform health authorities at the airport of their condition and will be required to have a COVID-19 test if it is deemed necessary.

From Nov. 9, passengers who show symptoms of the disease within 14 days before their arrival in Taiwan will be given two COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests 24 hours apart and will have to stay in a government-designated quarantine facility during that period, Chen said. If both tests come back negative, the passengers will be allowed to quarantine at home or at a hotel, he said.

Source: https://bit.ly/2IwQcxs