Taiwan welcomes visitors after ending Covid-19 quarantine rules

Taoyuan, Taiwan – Taiwan finally started welcoming back visitors on Thursday End of mandatory quarantine To help curb the spread of Covid-19, we gifted the first tour group to get off the plane after midnight with a cute toy black bear.

Taiwan retained some of its entry and quarantine rules as most of the rest of Asia either relaxed or lifted them entirely, but in June reduced the number of days required for quarantine from the previous seven to arrivals. shortened to 3 days.

Taiwan has reported nearly 7 million cases in the country since it began in 2022, but the government is pushing for a reopening. He said life must return to normal, especially given the high vaccination rates.

The government welcomed the first to benefit from the end of quarantine on flights from Bangkok at Taiwan’s main international airport in Taoyuan, a suburb of Taipei.

Excited tourists took pictures among the crowd of media and officials, and were greeted from the plane by Director General Zhang Shizhong of the Tourism Bureau.

“This is an opportunity to revive and rebuild cross-border tourism,” Chan told reporters.

Some rules remain, such as the need to monitor your health for 7 days after arrival and do a quick self-examination.

Taiwan’s two main airlines, China Airlines and EVA Air, are ramping up flights, regaining capacity on routes cut during the pandemic, and planning new services to cities such as Vietnam’s Da Nang. .

Taiwanese citizens and expats are not prohibited from leaving and re-entering the country during the pandemic, but previously had to quarantine at home or in hotels for up to two weeks.

Before the pandemic, Taiwan was a popular tourist destination, popular with travelers mainly from Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, who were attracted by the island’s cuisine and natural beauty.Reuters