Press Release of the Offshore Control Division of the Executive Yuan's SARS Epidemic Prevention, Control and Relief Committee
Today, the Offshore Control Division resolved to continue the implementation of the adjusted home quarantine regulations for travelers entering Taiwan. According to the eased regulations, which have already been approved by the Executive Yuan, ROC nationals, foreign passport holders, Hong Kong residents and the Mainland people entering Taiwan on business/work from an "area with recent local transmission of SARS" may be exempt from "Home Quarantine Measures for the Entrants" (i.e. Type B Home Quarantine), if the responsible persons of their company or business partner/client has submitted a letter of guarantee, and the competent authority has approved that they may be treated according to the more flexible "Guidelines for Entrants to Conduct Business Activities During the Period of Quarantine Measures." To energize normal business activities, these travelers also do not need to possess a "SARS-free medical certificate" when applying for a boarding permit. All other travelers entering/returning to Taiwan from an "area with recent local transmission of SARS" are still required to undergo "Type B Home Quarantine" measures. In addition, the Offshore Control Division still advises ROC nationals to cancel or postpone all unnecessary trips to the Mainland. For government employees, the current restrictions remain in place. All the above measures will come into force on June 9.
The government has announced their goals of having the WHO lift its travel advisory on Taiwan by the middle of June, and to have Taiwan removed from the WHO list of "areas with recent local transmission of SARS" by July. To implement prevention and control measures in this stage, the Offshore Control Division declared that it has held a position that it will "ease up the pressure that SARS prevention measures have put on the private sector's economic and trade activities and unleash the private sector's economic and trade energies," but with epidemic prevention still being the top priority, restrictions can only be relaxed gradually and cautiously.
The Mainland people are still only allowed to enter Taiwan for family reasons (Mainland spouses and their children), business activities, professional exchange, or other special reasons needing approval. For the time being, all other applications will not be processed. For Hong Kong residents, the temporary suspension of landing visas remains in place. For foreign passport holders entering Taiwan from an "area with recent local transmission of SARS," the restrictions on visa-exempt entries and landing visas remain in place. As for foreign passport holders and Hong Kong residents coming to Taiwan for family visits, visiting a sick person or attending a funeral, the Offshore Control Division announced that in order to simplify procedures, these travelers are no longer required to possess a "SARS-free medical certificate." Yet they still need to undergo a 10-day home quarantine after entering Taiwan, and their relatives are required to guarantee the proper implementation of all quarantine measures.
Taiwanese businesspeoples and their staffs in the Mainland holding a permit for their investments in the Mainland issued by the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Investment Commission (MOEAIC) enjoy the following treatment, as explained by the Offshore Control Division: They may enter Taiwan according to the "Guidelines for Entrants to Conduct Business Activities" (meaning they are exempt from Type B Quarantine Management), if their parent company in Taiwan submits a guarantee letter and obtains approval from the MOEAIC. That approval in hands, returning staff will be free from the requirement to undergo Type B Home Quarantine.
As awareness and understanding of the SARS virus have improved significantly among the population, the "Guidelines for Entrants to Conduct Business Activities" have been further eased: it is no longer compulsory for business/work visitors to wear a mask whenever going out. A self-care health management takes the place of the old regulation. Even so, visitors are still strongly advised to take all necessary precautions, and to comply with all demands made on them when in their workplace/office.
If you wish to make any further inquiries, please get in touch with Yang Chia-chun, Director of the Dept. of Legal Affairs of the Mainland Affairs Council. Tel: 0937-060673.