Int’l Students Entering Taiwan Between Feb. 15 – 28 Cannot Use Government Quarantine Facilities

International students who are expected to enter Taiwan between February 15 and 28 cannot quarantine at government facilities, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE).

On January 27, the Ministry of Education said that government facilities are at risk of reaching capacity following an increase in COVID-19 cases; therefore, it told universities that domestic arrivals will be prioritized when it comes to quarantine at these centers.

The ministry said that international students can complete quarantine only at designated hotels. Higher education institutions waiting for students have been required to notify the latter and the education staff about the recent change, Erudera.com reports.

According to the ministry, academic staff and students who have submitted applications to quarantine at a government facility between February 15 and 28 should now find a hotel and rebook at least five days before their trip to Taiwan. Those who do not rebook within this period will not be allowed to enter Taiwan.

Higher education institutions hosting international students have expressed concerns about the cost of quarantine which, according to them, might be a burden for international students, as hotels are usually more costly than government facilities.

The first group of international students is expected to arrive in Taiwan on February 16. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Education announced that Taiwan would reopen borders to 5,000 non-scholarship students wishing to study Mandarin. The ministry pointed out that universities and colleges can begin applications for their students from February 14.

MOE noted that non-scholarship students will be able to enter the country as the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) approved their entry.

International students entering Taiwan should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Taiwan accepts vaccines approved by WHO Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL), which are as follows:

• Medigen
• Janssen/J&J
• Pfizer-BioNTech
• Moderna
• AstraZeneca
• Covishield
• BIBP/Sinopharm
• Sinovac
• Covaxin
• Covovax

“For the full vaccination with the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, the 14-day period means that “the scheduled arrival date of the flight to Taiwan” minus “the vaccination date of the first dose” must be more than or equals to 14 days. For example, if the vaccination date is January 1, the 14th day is January 15 (inclusive),” the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control notes.

As per complete vaccination with other COVID-19 vaccines, the CDC says that the 14-day period means that the date set to travel to Taiwan minus “the vaccination date of the second dose” should be equal to 14 days.

Currently, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan stands at 18,735.

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