My school has been getting really weird about mask wearing. Yelling at the kids about how the cases are up like crazy in other countries so they better have their mask on and over their mouth and nose in five seconds or else. Yet none of the adults wear masks. But everyone seems convinced that cases rising like crazy abroad = danger in TW. Yes, there is the risk of quarantine runners and positive tests post quarantine, but just because cases are up abroad does not mean you need to screech at 7 year olds while you don’t wear a mask yourself. So. little. logic.
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And that is the reason for the tightened entry restrictions 
Yes it is. Cases are rising dramatically across much of the northern hemisphere, and the authorities in Taiwan are taking steps to make sure we don’t become part of the problem.
Guy
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More like making sure we’re not victims of the problem with a mass return of infected Taiwanese overrunning the quarantine system and hospital resources, most of them as freebies.
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An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
And from what I see in restaurants, the malls, etc., I’m not surprised you have to yell at the kids here because it looks like most of the parents don’t know how to parent, or don’t want to.
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Parenting in Taiwan used to be quite strict. Now it swung to the opposite extreme and the kids have zero control. Somehow the teachers get the blame when little xiaowang gets hurt as he runs around the classroom 
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Yeah. There is no logic. People like to be seen to be taking action.
Some overseas Taiwanese have called for a shortened isolation period ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
Uhmm… how about no?!
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Welcome to Taiwan!
So far the Q-tine shield of border control and contact tracing has worked perfectly. There has been no community transmission, even from those sailors.
What’s the point of all of this if we have to live in fear like the rest of the world?
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Maybe that has something to do with the fact that people here were taking the very precautions now being required again, namely mask wearing?
Even with the mask wearing requirements, life here is nothing like life in places like Europe and the US. Let’s keep some perspective please.
Any foreigner here who thinks life in Taiwan is going to be unbearable with mask wearing being required is free to go home.
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Ah yeah, the classic ‘if you don’t like it you can leave’ response from a long term expat.
Dissent is an important part of civil society. Don’t get sanchong syndrome.
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It’s just stating the obvious. I haven’t even been here 2 years.
Dissent is great. But the pushback against mandatory mask wearing in public places seems a bit overdone. The authorities here know the virus is exploding around the world. They know how many people are coming and going. They see the increase in the number of people coming back and testing positive, some after their quarantine periods have ended.
It’s a good thing they’re being humble and implicitly acknowledging the potential that a case could slip through. Like I said, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
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Interesting…they can have seats separated from others on the plane. Weird times we’re living in!
I’m assuming that besides the test, they have to meet the legal standards of being able to enter the country.
But what happens if they fail the test - they can’t enter? Fly back, infected?
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This is kind of my point but I increasingly realize very few people share my view on this. And I may be wrong. But yeah, my position is ramp up only after we have a confirmed case in the community or we have a real substantiated fear the virus is going to get in.
But my position may be influenced by the fact I really hate wearing masks.
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And that is the question…
This is why they tried back this before and will back down on it.
Is there another country on the planet that requires Covid-19 tests before boarding for its own citizens?
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I don’t know of any. Because this is ridiculous!
Two more imported cases reported today—both from Indonesia:
Guy
But what they tried to do this summer with only requiring tests from resident foreigners and not citizens was worse i think. at least now they will require the same from everyone (and how many resident foreigners were bringing back the virus? it seems to be mostly citizens who board planes suspecting that they may be sick). This is not ideal, but I think they are worried about overwhelming the quarantine and hospitals with people. I don’t think their purpose is to create virus refugees, but really if you are traveling right now its sort of on you to take precautions and accept the risks.
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Many people are abroad already longer than ‘just traveling now’ but need to come back in the end of the year. And in the west there are too many holidays in December and early January and companies only fly once a week back to Taiwan. The requirement makes it impossible to get a PCR test result now. If they at least changed to a rapid test it would maybe be possible to get. Regardless, everyone still have to quarantine, don’t they?
People are starting to complain about the feasibility to get it done: