TAIPEI, Taiwan –
Taiwan lifted all its COVID-19 entry restrictions on Thursday, permitting vacationers unfettered entry to the self-ruled island after over 2 1/2 years of border controls.
Hong Kong and Taiwan, along with mainland China, required most guests to finish a compulsory quarantine interval all through the pandemic, at the same time as most international locations reopened their borders to vacationers.
Visitors are now not required to quarantine upon entry, or take any PCR assessments. Instead, they might want to monitor their well being for every week after arriving, and acquire a detrimental consequence on a fast antigen check the day they arrive. If individuals need to exit in the course of the weeklong monitoring interval, they want a detrimental check from both that day or the day earlier than.
There are additionally now not any restrictions on sure nationalities being allowed to enter Taiwan.
Dozens of tourists from Thailand have been among the many first to reach below the brand new guidelines at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport, which serves the capital Taipei, on a Tiger Air flight that landed shortly after midnight.
Tourists like 32-year-old Mac Chientachakul and his dad and mom have been excited to go to the island.
“Hot pot is my favorite dish in Taiwan,” Chientachakul mentioned. “It’s my very first thing to do … I miss it a lot.”
Sonia Chang, a journey agent, mentioned the modifications are good for each the the tourism trade and Taiwanese residents, who can now journey overseas with out having to quarantine once they get residence.
Valaisurang Bhaedhayajibh, a 53-year-old enterprise growth director of a design agency, referred to as the brand new guidelines handy.
“We do not should do the check earlier than coming right here, and in addition after arriving,” he mentioned. “We are nonetheless required to do the self-test each two days, and all the things has been supplied” by Taiwanese authorities, together with the fast testing kits.
At a welcome ceremony within the Taoyuan airport’s arrival corridor, the travellers from Thailand have been met by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s director, Chang Shi-chung, who handed out items.
Taiwan’s tourism bureau estimated {that a} whole of 244 vacationers from some 20 tour teams will arrive Thursday.
With each Hong Kong and Taiwan eliminating restrictions and welcoming again vacationers, mainland China stays one of many few locations on this planet adamant in preserving borders closed and sticking to a “zero-COVID” technique to stamp out the virus. Hong Kong ended its necessary quarantine coverage for inbound travellers late final month, requiring only a three-day self-monitoring interval.
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Associated Press author Zen Soo contributed from Singapore.