To all our businesspeople in the Mainland:
Early this year, the SARS epidemic surfaced in the Mainland, and from there quickly spread to the whole world. Since Taiwan has frequent and close contacts with both the Mainland and Hong Kong, the island has also been quickly infected by the disease ever since April. During the peak period of our domestic epidemic, when the virus was spreading quickly, your concern and support has been of great help in the government's quick and smooth implementation of border control and quarantine measures. We know that just like us, you wish it will be sooner for Taiwan to leave this epidemic behind, and to see the day when your relatives and friends back home are no longer threatened by this potentially fatal disease.
Through our joint efforts, Taiwan's SARS epidemic has finally shown signs of abating over the past few days. Yet the population is still on its guard. People take their temperature twice a day, they still wear surgical masks whenever in crowded public places. Those who are running a fever will seek immediate medical attention. All these efforts have but one goal, and that is to let everybody on this island resume his/her normal lives. The government again wishes to thank everybody for their support and cooperation.
The people of Taiwan¡Xand that of course includes all of you in the Mainland¡Xhave devoted much time and energy to SARS prevention efforts, and this has led to many inconveniences in our lives. Everybody understands that these inconveniences come as a necessary consequence of the SARS epidemic. None of us are happy with it, but we all know that we have to face up to reality.
Now that the epidemic is slowly subsiding, the population is still on high alert. The government is aware that it needs to respond adequately to the latest developments, and is constantly adjusting all prevention and control measures. We need to stress, though, that an easing of restrictions can only be done gradually, in distinct stages, so as to avoid a renewed import of the virus into Taiwan. In the current phase, we need to control the amount of inbound and outbound travelers, because only this will allow our health authorities at all levels to muster sufficient staff and equipment to deal efficiently with the situation. Therefore, on the one hand any planned relaxation of visa restrictions or quarantine measures will have to be subject to the professional judgment of our health authorities, including their judgment of the maximum SARS prevention workload that Taiwan's healthcare system can reasonably support. This is to make absolutely sure that the epidemic situation in Taiwan does not get out of control once more because of a premature easing or lifting of restrictions. On the other hand the government also must consider that both our own population and that of all other nations need to be given some time to regain their confidence in the health situation here, and the best way to achieve this is through a gradual and cautious easing of restrictions.
The government on June 9 announced the relaxing of visa and quarantine restrictions for staff of Taiwan companies in the Mainland returning to Taiwan for business/work, provided that their company holds an investment permit (issued by the Ministry of Economic Affairs Investment Commission [MOEAIC]) for its investments in the Mainland. Such staff may now enter Taiwan according to the "Guidelines for Entrants to Conduct Business/Work-Related Activities." We have to stress that it is by no means implied that these travelers applicable to the newly adjusted rules are completely free from all restrictions. It just means that the government allows businesspeople/company staff from the Mainland to enter Taiwan for a fixed period of time for specific business/work purposes under conditionally eased regulations. These visitors are still required to comply with all precautionary measures regarding their behaviors as prescribed by the health authorities, including the following: when not conducting any business/work-related activities, visitors should avoid going out; they should also avoid visiting crowded public places; they must all the time wear a surgical mask whenever conducting business in a closed area; they should not use any form of public transportation vehicles; they are required to perform a temperature check twice a day. All these regulations are in fact identical with those for "Type B Home Quarantine Measures." We further need to point out that those entering Taiwan according to the newly adjusted quarantine rules, but are then found during random checks having acted in violation of these rules, will be severely penalized. This applies not only to the visitor, but also to the responsible persons of the company that signed a letter of guarantee for him/her. In other words, there is only a difference of degree between the newly adjusted regulations and the original "Type B Home Quarantine Measures." Under both regulations, visitors are subject to certain restrictions and have to strictly comply with all preventive measures as prescribed by the authorities.
Naturally, a question many Taiwan businesspeople in the Mainland have is this: how about those to whom the newly adjusted rules do not apply? Is it feasible or not for them to return to Taiwan? We can answer this in the affirmative, and tell you that the government's "Type B Quarantine Measures" are far from totally restricting quarantine subjects to the confines of their own four walls. As is clearly stated in the home quarantine notice, quarantine subjects may still venture outside for certain purposes (such as seeking medical treatment, purchasing prepared meals and newspapers, taking a walk/exercising in an open area, or other activities for which permission from the local health authority has been obtained). If after ten days, when the quarantine period is over, the subject has shown no signs whatsoever of infection with SARS, he or she will be released from quarantine and be completely free from all restrictions.
Recently, some of the Taiwan Businesspeople Associations in the Mainland area have voiced their hope that Taiwan companies engaging in certain forms of export trade in the Mainland (including processing with supplied materials, assembling supplied parts, processing according to supplied samples, and compensatory trade) may also be applicable to the "Guidelines for Entrants to Conduct Business/Work-Related Activities" that came into force on June 9. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has been processing applications for these kinds of export trade in the Mainland since 1993. Since the economic activities described above do not fall under the category of investment as defined in Paragraph 4 of the "Permit Guidelines for Investment or Technical Cooperation in the Mainland Area" (promulgated by the MOEA), the MOEA does not specifically require companies engaging in these types of export trade to first apply for a special permit. Regarding this, the Mainland Affairs Council, in agreement with the MOEA and other related departments, has decided to let the new regulations apply to Taiwan enterprises in the Mainland whose parent company is in Taiwan, and which does engage in the types of export trade described above. Such companies need to file an application with the MOEA, which will be quickly processed and, if certain conditions are met, the staff of these companies will be allowed to enter Taiwan according to the "Guidelines for Entrants to Conduct Business/Work-Related Activities." As soon as all accompanying measures are in place, the government will speedily announce and adopt this measure.
Let us again stress that the government is closely monitoring the domestic SARS epidemic, and that all decisions to adjust or ease visa/quarantine restrictions will be made in quick and adequate response to the latest developments. Once Taiwan has been removed from the WHO's list of "areas with recent local transmission of SARS," we will immediately review all border control and quarantine measures. The government is well aware of the concerns of all our businesspeople in the Mainland, and understands their wish to return home. We also hope that at this critical time of SARS control, all of us can act in concert and make a joint effort to completely curb the domestic SARS epidemic. We are confident that everybody's patience and support will soon allow Taiwan to return to complete normality.
Finally, we wish everybody good health, peace and prosperity.