TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The country’s pandemic situation in the next few days will be key to determining whether the second phase of the migrant workers’ introduction program will proceed in mid-February as scheduled, said Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) on Wednesday (Jan. 26). 

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) put the entry of migrant workers into Taiwan on hold indefinitely after the local COVID-19 outbreak. On Nov. 11, the CECC gave the green light to a special program to admit migrant workers in two phases, according to CNA.

The plan's first phase, which requires all arriving workers to undergo quarantine at a centralized facility, is slated to end on Feb. 14, with the second phase to begin on Feb. 15. Due to the recent cluster infection among migrant workers in Taoyuan, there have been concerns about the timeline of the program.

The labor minister said her ministry has not submitted a report to the CECC on when during the second phase foreign workers will be introduced and is currently sizing up the pandemic situation in the country, per CNA. In light of the infected workers, the next few days are key to the timeline of the second phase, she said.

If the situation stabilizes, the special program will proceed as scheduled. If the outcome remains unclear, though, the ministry will submit a relevant report to the CECC and let it make a decision on when the second phase can be put in motion, per CNA.