Taiwan cuts HK businesstravelers some slack

Taiwan will shorten the mandatory quarantine period to five days for Hong Kong business travelers from Monday if they test negative for the coronavirus.

They will be tested after five to seven days in quarantine. If they test negative, they will be released and allowed to self-monitor their health until the 21st day after their entry to Taiwan.

The policy change applies to those who are engaged in short-term commercial activities.

Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control announced yesterday that foreign business travelers should meet four requirements before they can have their quarantine cut to five or seven days instead of two weeks.

These requirements include being allowed to enter by the island's Central Epidemic Command Center, staying on the island for less than three months and visiting for short-term commercial activities such as goods inspection and contract signing.

They will also need to be arriving from a country or region deemed low to medium-risk in terms of infections or to have not traveled to other areas in the last 14 days before flying to Taiwan.

As Hong Kong and Macau are classified as low-risk regions, residents from the two SARs can apply for Covid-19 tests at their own expense after five days of isolation upon arrival.

Those from medium-risk countries, including South Korea and Japan, can do the same after seven days in quarantine.

If the tests come back negative, travelers can end their quarantine and start a 21-day self-health management period.

This is when they are expected to check their body temperature daily, report their condition to health officials through text message and wear masks.

"There will be adjustments on the countries or regions listed as low or medium-risk, as we will monitor the situation in these places every seven to 14 days," health minister Chen Shih-chung said.

"We will also be simplifying quarantine procedures with certain countries in some special cases under the premises of fostering mutual benefits and health safety across nations."

Eligible business travelers will have to submit relevant documents proving their reasons of stay, their itinerary and prevention plans provided by their company, and a negative coronavirus test result taken three days prior to their arrival in Taiwan, Chen said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong students studying in Taiwan will be given priority when Taiwan lifts its border controls.

The island's education minister Pan Wen-chung said they will prioritize students from the 11 low-risk areas, including Hong Kong and Macau, to return for study.

Students graduating at the end of the current school year, other remaining students and new admissions will be allowed to enter Taiwan in phases and will stay at off-campus quarantine hotels or centers after arriving.

"We are expecting 2,238 students from these low-risk countries," Pan said.

"But when the arrangement can be implemented depends largely on schools' safety measures and foreign students' willingness to cooperate."

In March, President Tsai Ing-wen shut most of Taiwan's borders, with all arrivals prohibited except for Taiwanese citizens, diplomats and business visitors.

Those who are allowed to enter Taiwan are subject to a 14-day mandatory quarantine regardless of where they have traveled from. Taiwan has recorded zero cases over the past 66 days, and has reported a total of 445 cases and seven deaths.

Back in Hong Kong, a source said the health code scheme with Macau and Guangdong to waive the 14-day mandatory quarantine has been shelved for the time being.

jasmine.ling@singtaonewscorp.com