My girlfriend and I are planning to visit Taiwan in July on ARCs. We’ll be traveling from the USA. Do we need to quarantine (i.e. stay in the same hotel room without ever going outside) for 14 days upon arrival? According to the Taiwan CDC website, I think the answer is “No”: only people who live with at-risk individuals need to quarantine, and we’ll be staying in our own hotel/apartment.
If the answer is “Yes”, can anyone recommend a nice hotel to quarantine at? A spacious room with a balcony would make the 14 days go by more easily.
Yes, all visitors are subject to 14-day quarantine (even Taiwanese nationals). The answer you’re referring to is that people who live with at-risk individuals need to quarantine at a quarantine hotel.
You still need to quarantine for 14 days. But because you don’t live with at-risk people, you don’t need to quarantine at a government organized quarantine hotel.
I had to do the 14 day quarantine at home, in our own apartment. Thankfully we had relatives who brought us food. It was still a mental struggle. You don’t know how much you miss going outside until you can’t. Luckily we had a balcony that got sunlight.
The gov tracks your phone location. It’s not accurate. After the first week we kept getting SMS alerts that we were out of our zone. The first time it happened the police turned up at our door with a quarantine officer.
The answer is most certainly “Yes.” That’s why our corona count is so low. Please be advised that if you want to visit here, you need to be able to put aside two weeks for quarantine. So I wouldn’t come unless you’re here for more than 3 weeks off. And if you try to sneak out of quarantine, you’ll be found out and be all over the media. So please be respectful of these guidelines if you visit. It keeps us safe from potential outbreaks.
It can be anywhere; presumably outside Taipei would be cheaper. Maybe Taoyuan? Would like to get a large-ish room (e.g. 40 sq m / 12 坪) so we don’t feel too cramped, with good in-room amenities like a balcony and a desk.
Somewhere between 6 months and forever (?) Haven’t decided yet
Let’s make it easy. Coming from a country with 2 million cases and 100K deaths to one where there are 0 cases for last 2 months and a max of less than 500 cases.
In addition to the 14-days of quarantine follows a 7-day period of “self-health management”. So after 2 weeks of quarantine you still have 1 week of guidelines to follow. For example: you must wear at mask at all times when going out and keep tabs on your health and temperature. It is also discouraged that you use any public transit and only go out as necessary. Since they require you to be masked at all times, that means no dining out.
Given the research on Covid incubation period this 14+7 scheme makes sense and is reasonable enough for incoming travelers.
There is a list of government recommended hotels. Write first and inquiry about food arrangement and amenities like hot water. Bring snacks anyways -except anything with meat which is forbidden due to fears if African swine fever.
Remember it is not only quarantine, safety measures include wearing mask at all times, taking a specific government arranged taxi, filling out forms and downloading a special app for tracking and information, etc.
Control is strict. Stepping out to smoke outside your room for example means a 10 k fine. Going out for a stroll is a million plus making the news.
I recommend older hotels, say in Tianmu or Xindian. Avoid airport hotel and hotels in Ximending.
You cannot share a room with your girlfriend if you stay in a quarantine hotel, so be prepared to shell out ~ $1500 USD (NT3000 x 15* = 45000) each for an average room.
*The 14-day quarantine starts the next day after your arrival, so unless you enter Taiwan just before midnight, you will have to stay at a quarantine hotel for 15 nights.