Taiwan will lift its entry ban on Feb. 15 on migrant workers from all four major source countries — Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam — according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Monday.
Under the new rules, migrant workers must be fully vaccinated and undergo a 14-day standard quarantine at quarantine hotels, followed by seven days of self-health management in the same venue.
“The self-health management for the last seven days is meant to be a ‘reinforced management’ to avoid clusters as it is more likely for such incidents to take place in both [the workers’] working and living environments,” said CECC head and Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (???) in the daily press briefing.
These practices differ from that for other travelers to Taiwan, who can return home for the self-health management period and go out as long as they do not attend large-scale gatherings or dine in large groups.
Meanwhile, Chen said, there will be no more usage of a points-based system for the entry of migrant workers as is the case now.
Under current regulations, points are issued based on factors such as the migrant workers’ vaccination status, the COVID-19 situation in their countries, and the dormitories provided by their employers in Taiwan, Chen said.
People with higher points are given priority to enter Taiwan.
According to the Ministry of Labor (MOL), some of the current disease control measures for migrant workers will continue after Feb. 15, including how the COVID-19 tests are conducted.
For example, migrant workers must take polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in their home countries before entry, upon arrival in Taiwan, and after the 14-day quarantine, the ministry said.
They also need to receive another rapid test during the self-health management period, according to the MOL.
Taiwan banned the entry of all foreign nationals without residency — including migrant workers — last May following an unprecedented spike in domestic COVID-19 cases.
However, Taiwan slightly loosened the border restrictions from late last year to allow migrant workers from Indonesia and Thailand to enter because of the two nations’ greater willingness to cooperate and adhere to Taiwan’s COVID-19 rules.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel