Somehow, it’s September already. 2020 has been both the fastest and slowest year of all time and it’s safe to say that the coronavirus pandemic is to blame. Luckily, we’re in Taiwan, and despite restrictions on international travel, life has, we dare say, been normal for the most part. Or, normal enough, at least. At the time of writing, the country has had only 489 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 471 of those having recovered, 11 of them currently ongoing and seven having passed away. (Read More: Taiwan: The Best Post-Pandemic Travel Destination)
In some promising international travel news, however, it has been announced that Japan will open its borders to business travelers from Taiwan, reported Focus Taiwan. Of course, safety precautions have to be taken. Business travelers wishing to visit Japan need to test negative for COVID-19 up to 72 hours prior to departure, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They then need to test negative again upon arrival and then complete a 14-day quarantine.
Two travelers from Taiwan, returning to Japan and Vietnam respectively, recently tested positive for the virus, according to Taiwan News. A Vietnamese woman returning home arrived in Vietnam on August 7 and tested positive on August 26 having already tested negative twice and being subject to a two-week quarantine. It has been deemed highly unlikely she caught the virus in Taiwan. A Taiwanese man testing positive in Japan arrived there and tested positive on August 31. His travel companions, however, all tested negative. His recent contacts in Taiwan are currently being traced and tested.
While there still seems to be no community and local transmission of the virus, Taiwan is still receiving imported cases from people entering the country. The most recent case was a man from Indonesia, who so far has shown no symptoms but tested positive prior to his scheduled departure from the country on September 2. Those who came into contact with him have been contacted.
(cover photo: Markus Winkler)
