TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Japan and other countries strengthen their on-arrival testing requirements for Chinese travelers, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday (Dec. 27) stated that its testing policy for Chinese arrivals remains unchanged and those who test positive must undergo 5+N quarantine.
China on Monday (Dec. 26) announced that starting on Jan. 8, 2023 it will halt isolation measures for infected persons, contact tracing will be discontinued, high- and low-risk areas will no longer be designated, and quarantines will no longer be enforced. However, as China experiences a massive surge in COVID cases, a growing number of countries are tightening their testing requirements for passengers arriving from China.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Tuesday announced that his country is restricting the increase of flights from China and will require inbound Chinese passengers to undergo on-arrival testing starting on Friday (Dec. 30), with those who test positive required to undergo quarantine for seven days. When asked by the media that day whether Taiwan will take a similar approach, CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that Taiwan's policy for arrivals from China remains unchanged.
Chuang said that the center will continue to provide rapid screening at the airport for arrivals from various countries. He said that if Chinese passengers test positive for COVID, the standard procedure is to enter 5+n of quarantine, meaning five days of quarantine, and up to seven days of self-health monitoring, depending on how soon they test negative.
Chuang stated that the decision on whether to further strengthen the screening requirements of passengers from China will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
On Saturday (Dec. 24), the Italian Ministry of Health issued a requirement that passengers arriving from China must undergo nucleic acid testing upon arrival and that they must pay a test fee of 90 Euros. In addition, Italy, India, and South Korea have also tightened entry testing requirements for Chinese tourists.
