TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Tuesday (March 7) announced that starting on March 15, COVID regulations will be loosened for migrant workers arriving from overseas, including the easing of testing requirements and expanding locations where self-health monitoring can be conducted.

The MOL's Workforce Development Agency (WDA) issued a press release saying that starting on March 15, only incoming migrant workers who show COVID symptoms will undergo rapid antigen testing, while results will no longer need to be uploaded to the WDA's website. Inbound migrant workers will also have more options in terms of self-health monitoring locations and the room regulations for that period will also be eased.

In order to utilize Taiwan's "one-stop service," new migrant domestic caregivers should still log into the MOL's Entry And Departure Of The Foreign Labor Airport Care Service website and provide relevant information five days before entry. New industrial migrant workers (including institutional caregivers) must log into the website to arrange to be picked up at the airport three days before entry. Returning migrant workers should also log into the site before arrival.

The WDA said starting on March 15, arriving migrant workers can undergo the required seven days of self-health monitoring in places such as their employer's house, worker dormitories, or hotels. There should only be one person per room that ideally has a separate bathroom.

However, the WDA explained that if the bathroom and toilet can be adequately cleaned and disinfected after each use, incoming migrant workers can stay in a private room that shares a bathroom with others.

In addition, self-health monitoring sites are no longer required to be registered with the central government, nor do they need to be approved by country and city governments.

In response to concerns about transportation to self-health monitoring facilities, the WDA said it will loosen the regulations on transporting industrial migrant workers (including institutional caregivers) and migrant workers returning to Taiwan. Beginning March 15, employers, brokers, and other designated personnel will be allowed to pick up migrant workers from the airport and take them to their self-health monitoring accommodations. In addition, newly recruited domestic caregivers will be picked up by designated vehicles and taken to the Migrant Worker One-Stop Service Center.

Further details on eased COVID restrictions that go into effect March 15. (WDA image)