Taiwan, Europe Brief News – Taiwan has fully re-opened its borders to foreign tourists after more than two years of COVID-19 closure.
Visitors to the self-ruled island are no longer required to quarantine upon entry, or to take any PCR tests.
Instead, they will need to test negative on a rapid antigen test on arrival. They also have to monitor their health for a week.
Taiwan’s tourism bureau estimated that a total of 244 tourists from some 20 tour groups will arrive Thursday.
The news comes as Japan and Hong Kong also relax their entry rules. But would-be visitors to nearby China still face harsh quarantine policies.
People who were able to enter the country without a visa before the pandemic have been able to do so from 29 September. A ban on tour groups has also been lifted.
“It has finally come to the final moment of the pandemic,” President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on her Facebook page.
“Now, we must make every effort to revive tourism, stimulate the economy and lead Taiwan’s economy to develop by leaps and bounds.”
Visitors who test positive for COVID-19 will still have to quarantine at a hotel or at home.
Japan has also allowed a small number of visitors since June, but only as part of strictly managed tour groups.
