WORK IN PROGRESS: While many countries have lifted their travel bans on Taiwanese, the foreign ministry said talks were ongoing with Italy, Bangladesh and Mongolia

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 15, 2020
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

The Philippine government yesterday decided to remove Taiwan from a temporary travel ban, its second

reversal this month amid an outbreak of COVID-19 in China and the shadow of Beijing’s influence.

“The [Philippine presidential] palace confirms that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease has resolved to lift the travel restrictions imposed upon Taiwan, effective immediately,” Philippine presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement relayed by the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.

The decision has been agreed “by reason of the strict measures they [Taiwanese officials] are undertaking, as well as the protocols they are implementing to address the COVID-19 [outbreak],” he said after a Philippine Cabinet meeting yesterday afternoon.

The task force would also evaluate lifting the travel ban on Macau, he said, adding that any resolution of travel restrictions in connection with COVID-19 would be regularly reviewed.    [FULL  STORY]

The Philippines' banning of Taiwanese tourists is yet another move to cozy up to China.

The News Lens
Date: 2020/02/13
By: Jeremy Van der Haegen

To curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, the Philippines barred entry of foreigners who have visited China, Hong Kong, and Macau in the last 14 days. But the travel ban was abruptly expanded to include Taiwan as part of its One China Policy on February 10, leaving hundreds of Taiwanese travelers stranded. 

The move seems to be part of a bigger geopolitical picture where the Rodrigo Duterte administration is cozying up to China while diminishing its ties with the United States.

Despite Taiwan’s completely separate governance and healthcare system, the World Health Organization has included Taiwan as part of China in its risk assessment. Vietnam and Italy previously issued similar travel restrictions on Taiwanese tourists after observing the WHO guidelines. 

Yet the Philippines did not mention that it was following the WHO guidelines in its clarification on the travel ban. The Philippine Civil Aeronautics Board merely stated it will “include Taiwan under the One China Policy."     [FULL  STORY]

Magnitude 4.8 temblor shook eastern Taiwan's Hualien County

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/14
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A magnitude 4.8 earthquake rocked eastern Taiwan at 1:49 a.m. this morning (Feb. 14), according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

The epicenter of the temblor was located 58.1 kilometers east-northeast of Hualien County Hall at a focal depth of 25.9 kilometers, based on CWB data. Taiwan uses an intensity scale of 1 to 7, which gauges the degree to which a quake is felt at a specific location.   
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/13/2020
By: Chen Wei-ting and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, Feb. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's tenth confirmed case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), who was released from quarantine on Thursday, issued a statement that day thanking his medical team, while saying the experience of becoming ill and seeing his family treated as "public enemies" taught him the importance of having compassion.

According to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), the patient is a Taiwanese businessman who became ill after returning from the Chinese city of Wuhan on Jan. 12.

Although the man initially tested negative for the virus, he subsequently infected his wife, and was later confirmed as Taiwan's tenth coronavirus case on Jan. 31.

At a CECC press conference on Thursday, however, Wang Pi-Sheng (王必勝), the director of the Hospital and Social Welfare Organizations Administration Commission, said the man is now in good health, and has tested negative for the virus three times in recent days.
[FULL  STORY]

BOOSTING SALES: One measure involves coupons that would be redeemable at night markets, while the Council of Agriculture is to redouble efforts to increase exports

Taipei Times
Date:  Feb 14, 2020
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday approved relief measures totaling at least NT$60

billion (US$2 billion) for sectors affected by an outbreak of COVID-19 in China, including coupons that can be used at night markets and shopping districts.

Relief funds would come in two forms: appropriation from existing budgets of agencies concerned with relief efforts and a planned special budget, which would have a ceiling of NT$60 billion, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said.

The Disaster Prevention and Protection Act (災害防救法) stipulates that government agencies at all levels should appropriate existing budgets to cover more urgent needs for disaster relief, she said, adding that relief funds allocated this way would be disbursed immediately.

The special budget would be sourced from the government’s surplus revenue and funds freed up by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, she said.   
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 12 February, 2020
By: Jake Chen

Xianse Temple in New Taipei has donated supplies of disinfectant to 38 local schools.

Demand for surgical masks and disinfectant has soared since the outbreak of coronavirus disease Covid-19, leading to shortages of both.

On Wednesday, Xianse Temple donated 2000 kilograms of hand wash and 6000 kilograms of hypochlorous acid water, with the goal of ensuring the schools have adequate supplies to keep their campuses clean and healthy.    [SOURCE]

The News Lens
Date: 2020/02/12
By: Evan Vitkovski

Evan is a writer, editor, storyteller, traveler, and organizer in the arts scene in Taipei. Besides writing, sharing music and promoting events in Taipei as a radio host, networking with other creatives at concerts and festivals, and spending time reflecting in the mountains or at the beach take up most of the time between planning the next trip.

What you need to know

With over 14 million registered scooters in Taiwan, new players like SKRT have emerged to digitalize scooter rentals and create easier access for foreign tourists.

It’s impossible to imagine Taiwan without scooters weaving through traffic everywhere. Scooter rental services from Taiwan-based startup Gogoro and similar apps like iRent and Wemo have been relatively successful so far.

SKRT is among the latest to have emerged in the scooter rental business, streamlining the process of renting a scooter by going fully digital. The startup also gives scooter owners a share of the profit for monetizing their vehicles.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan's countermeasures could include ending visa-waiver program or restricting number of Philippine migrant workers

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/13
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

RMA538180858
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Philippine Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo intends to make a final announcement Friday (Feb. 14) on whether to maintain a ban on Taiwanese traveling to the Philippines — while the Taiwan government prepares countermeasures if the ban remains in place.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Feb. 2 that a travel ban would be imposed on all foreigners who had visited China and its special administrative regions in the previous 14 days. However, on Monday (Feb. 10), Domingo abruptly announced that all visitors from Taiwan would also be subject to the ban, based on the Philippines' "one China" policy.

At a press conference, Domingo clarified that Taiwan was included in the ban based on the WHO map. “As far as the health community is concerned and the WHO is concerned, Taiwan is part of China,” ABC-CBN News quoted him as saying.

This sudden announcement led to complete chaos, as many flights from Taiwan to the Philippines were suddenly canceled and hundreds of Taiwanese passengers found themselves trapped at customs in various Philippine airports. Three major travel agencies stated that nearly 500 Taiwanese tourists were stranded at customs in Cebu, Kalibo, and Manila International Airports.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/13/2020
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, Feb. 13 (CNA) The government of the Philippines will conduct a risk assessment to decide whether a temporary travel ban to Taiwan will be lifted amid possible retaliatory measures by Taiwan, Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque said Thursday in a radio interview in Manila.

"The ban can be reversed if the risk assessment shows favorable results," he said.

Duque said the decision to enforce the travel ban was aimed at controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines.

The Philippine government first issued a travel ban on China Feb. 2 to prevent the spread of the virus to the Philippines.    [FULL  STORY]