Effective Aug. 12 all passengers arriving in Taiwan from Philippines must go directly to quarantine centers
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/12
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Passengers from Philippines prepare to board quarantine taxi. (CNA photo)
As coronavirus cases continue to skyrocket in the Philippines, which is the source of the majority of Taiwan's imported cases, Health Minister and Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced on Sunday (Aug. 9) that starting on Wednesday, all passengers arriving from the Southeast Asian country must undergo testing for COVID-19 and enter a government-monitored quarantine facility for 14 days. Previously, testing was only carried out at the airport if a passenger exhibited or reported symptoms of the virus, and new arrivals could pick and choose where they spent their quarantine.
Before the rule change, foreign nationals or Taiwanese had the option of undergoing their 14-day quarantine at home or in a hotel. Given the larger number of infections coming from the Philippines, the CECC has now decided to funnel all incoming passengers into centralized quarantine facilities to better monitor them for signs of the disease and more effectively isolate them from the general population.
On Wednesday, the first day of the new regulations, only three passengers aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR890 arrived at Taoyuan Taiwan International Airport at 7:44 a.m., reported CNA. After filling out questionnaires and being tested for the coronavirus, the three passengers were taken by special epidemic prevention taxi to an assigned quarantine center.
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