Another destination in Southeast Asia began to “open” for tourists: Taiwan increased the weekly quota for arriving foreigners from 60 to 150 thousand ., moreover, allowing their entry from countries with which there is no visa-free regime – that is, including from Russia – and also began the second stage of easing anti-epidemiological restrictions.
The latter, however, does not yet look very attractive to the mass tourist. According to the local Operational Headquarters, the Central Epidemiological Command Center of Taiwan announced the day before that the “3 + 4” requirement was canceled, according to which passengers arriving on the island had to undergo a strict three-day quarantine and monitor their health for four more days in fact on self-isolation. Now, a 0+7 rule is being introduced for arrivals, “according to which quarantine is lifted and visitors must observe their health for seven days in self-isolation with the opportunity to go outside,” local officials say. In fact, this means the following: on the day of arrival or the next day, tourists are advised to undergo an express test for SARS-CoV-2 antigens and “self-isolate” in the hotel or house of the inviters, and it is stated that it is desirable that the tourist “stay alone in the room and use a private bathroom. “If people arriving in Taiwan during the period of self-isolation need to go outside, they must carry a negative PCR test result made no more than 48 hours in advance, or take a rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Outside the self-isolation room, they must maintain social distancing at all times and wear a protective mask, removing it only to eat or drink,” the local guidelines also explain. It is easy to understand that such conditions are not very attractive for tourism.
In this case, there is only one bonus: “If one of the members of the tourist group tests positive for COVID, then he will have to undergo a seven-day quarantine and seven-day self-isolation, while all other members of the tourist group with negative tests will be able to continue their route,” – experts explain.
At the same time, Taoyuan International Airport is already preparing to operate about 270 flights on Thursday alone and serve over 12,000 arriving passengers. It is also open to citizens of countries requiring a visa to enter Taiwan. Recall that earlier, from September 29, Taiwan allowed entry to citizens of 65 countries who do not need a visa to visit the island, but Russia was not among them.
Recall that another neighboring part of Southeast Asia – Hong Kong – removed some of the restrictions from September 26th. However, even there some barriers remain. According to the updated protocols published on the website of the Hong Kong government, the mandatory three-day quarantine requirement for tourists is lifted from Monday. However, they will still be required to provide a full vaccination certificate and other restrictions. In particular, arriving tourists are assigned an “orange health code” in a special application on their mobile phones. In fact, this is an analogue of QR codes forgotten by Russians, which will not allow a tourist to visit any tourist infrastructure in the first days – restaurants, cafes, bars and museums are closed to them, where QR codes must be scanned at the entrance. Read the details here.
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