The era of digital nomadery is probably over. Countries are going to want to cut the number of bodies entering or exiting, thus restrictions on movement are going to happen. I don’t think it will be a total shutdown but rather a requirement to get a business visa/family visa. Effectively: you need a good reason to be somewhere.
The good news is Taiwan has many pathways to get a proper ARC. There’s the Gold Card, Branch Office ARC, Start-up visaetc. etc. We shouldn’t be hearing “but I can’t get an ARC”
I wonder what’s going to happen to Computex. This is a pretty key tradeshow for the PC industry, a pillar of Taiwan’s economy. It generates tens of billions of business a year. Plus, spin-off effects like hotels, F&B.
Theoretically they can issue a special visa to allow foreigner to board a plane and enter Taiwan immigration.
I know one foreigner that was recently under the current ban issued a special visa to enter Taiwan because his marriage paperwork to a Taiwanese was at a stage that they deemed it appropriate.
Interviewed at airport and self quarantine at home.
The digital nomad era won’t be over. What does nomad mean? They’ll just go elsewhere. That’s what nomads do. Unfortunately, this won’t have much impact on the stupid articles that they often write for online magazine etc.
As far as Computex is concerned, they’ll find a way around it.
I doubt that the absence of Visa-Free visitors would make any difference to the number of positive Covid-19 cases. All of the recent positive cases have been from TW Citizens who have recently returned, or Citizens who caught it from one. When did the last Foreigner test positive?
To put it another way, is a Foreigner who arrives with an ARC or APRC in hand any less a Covid-19 danger than a “Tourist” on a 90 day Visa-Free stay? The danger in Taiwan has been returning Citizens.
Assuming things settle down in the coming months, the resumption of ‘normal’ International Travel will be a big gamble without any Vaccination available.
Or do we wait that long, and demand that all Travellers carry a Vaccination Certificate with them like was the case to enter some countries 40-50 years back. And if no Vaccination is discovered?
For one individual → same risk (even though most citizens/ARC would care more about preserving Taiwan)
As a group it is another story, potential number of visa free is hundreds of millions (if not a billion more).
Keep in mind that this is a temporary state of affairs. Digital nomadery and free travel will return once the virus is defeated, and it will be defeated.
Your logic is flawed. It’s just a numbers game. Everyone returning comes from temporary arrangements like study which got shut down. Foreigners already staying here have no reason to leave, and there should be very few cases of people with an A(P)RC staying out long term and wanting to come back at this time.
I agree with that; Chen doesn’t seem to. He clearly stated that Taiwan will remain closed indefinitely, even in the event that a (less than perfect) vaccine is deployed.
Which was exactly what I said he said: “The country was not even close to discussing a broader lifting of an entry ban on foreign nationals imposed to keep the disease out.”
