😷 COVID - Is it safe to travel on a plane to the US from Taiwan?

Hi Folks,

I want to get your opinion on the matter. One of my family members has recently become very ill. I think I will need to go back to San Francisco to visit for a while.

Is it safe to travel on an airplane from Taiwan back to the US? I only just got the first AZ vaccine last week; next one is late June. I don’t know if I can wait until then to travel back.

My understanding is that I have to reside in Taiwan for 6 months out of the year in order to keep my ARC. I don’t think I will be out that long, but I need to consider it. Is this time period correct? And are there any exceptions, if true?

Thank you, kindly.

You should fly direct with a Taiwanese airline to minimize risks regardless of costs

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Also, you may be able to coordinate receiving the second AZ shot while there.

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AZ is currently not licensed in the U.S. and is unlikely to be licensed in the foreseeable future

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You can probably get an extension on your ARC if you ask.

Not sure if arcs are the same (what type of arc do you have? Jfrv are probably far more forgiving)but aprc you send a letter online explaining why you will be absent and you get up to 2 years. I have done this and it worked.

Taking care of family is generally very much accomadated in taiwan as an.excuse, just not sure if arc can get the 2 year limit.

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Flying via Singapore, HK, Japan and Korea would in my opinion also be low risk. The real risk starts as soon as you touch down in US.

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Much higher risk because these are big hubs where a lot of people from other countries with a much higher infection rate are put on the plane. And their covid test, even if not fake, provides only limited assurances

For Japan on top of this the local infection situation is quite bad as well

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United Airlines flies non stop in big aeroplane (777-300) everyday with I guess few if any transfers. Eva Air (BR) does get transfers at TPE from mostly SE Asia, so if going to SFO United seems good. Also my American friend told me California is doing much better as its one of better states currently.

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@PeiHua-Connie

Agreed that then United seems a good bet.

But I am curious as I have never flown with the Taiwanese airlines. Is there really a significant amount of transit passengers on transcontinental flights (Taiwan - US or Taiwan - Europe) with Eva Air and China Airlines?

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what kind of ARC are you on? As far as your reason for the residency is kept, you don’t lose your ARC by staying out of Taiwan, iiuc.

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When I flew Eva last year, it turned out it was a codeshare with Thai Air and the plane was already nearly full with Thais headed to the U.S. Most of whom seemed to have some sort of respiratory infection because the whole damn plane was coughing their lungs out. Go figure.

California is actually the worst of any state for Moo Shoo Bat Flu statistics.

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If you take a direct flight from TPE to SFO, the risk should be minimal, as Taiwan does not have community spread (yet), and everyone has to prove they are SARS-Cov-2 negative before boarding.

You are supposed to still quarantine for at least 7 days after arrival if you have not been fully vaccinated, and take a PCR test on the 5th day per CDC guidelines, although it’s not enforced.

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thats perhaps one way of looking at it. One of the reasons for your residency is you reside here half the year. Im pretty sure you can lose it, even.if.married on a jfrv, if out of country too long. or has this changed?

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if it is a marriage based ARC, I’m sure you don’t lose it until it’s expiration date, or you lose your marriage status, whichever happens earlier.
If it is employment based, it is valid till its expiration date, or the date you are fired.
If student, till expiration date or you lose your student status.

If it is an APRC, you would lose it if out of country too long.

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As of end of April, California was the best (lowest COVID rate), it was the worst and now the best
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-04-22/california-goes-from-worst-to-first-in-virus-infections

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Depends on what type of ARC you have.

JFRV?
Student?
Employment?

If you’ve got an APRC, then that’s also different.

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I just have normal work visa ARC.

I thought i have to be in Taiwan for 183 days out of the year or something like that in order to keep my ARC.

So, I can be outside of Taiwan for more than 6 months?