“IS Taiwan closed to the rest of the world??
Taiwan
Taiwan has begun to reopen its borders to foreign nationals - they must apply for a special entry permit before traveling.
Entry restrictions
Taiwan has begun to reopen its borders to foreign nationals, provided they are traveling for reasons other than tourism or to visit friends. All visa waivers have been suspended, so travelers must apply for a special entry permit with a Taiwan representative office overseas before traveling.
Travelers who already hold a valid Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) or Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC) do not require a visa to enter Taiwan.
Entry requirements
Foreign nationals must have a medical certificate in English with a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result issued within 72 hours prior to departure to Taiwan.
Travelers must complete and submit a “Quarantine System for Entry Form” before departure.
The following visitors may be exempted from negative COVID-19 test: personnel on diplomatic or official business, migrant workers, students, those coming to Taiwan for emergency situations, and crewmembers on vessels arriving in Taiwan.
Passengers arriving from the Philippines are subject to medical screening on arrival.
Quarantine requirements
Travelers are subject to a 14-day home quarantine.
During the quarantine period, the individual is to stay home (or at the designated location) and may not use public transportation or leave Taiwan. Travelers may be asked to install a local SIM card if they do not already have one. Mobile phone location monitoring will be used as part of the quarantine management process by local authorities. Short-term business travelers may apply for a shortened period of home quarantine.
Transiting rules
Foreign passengers, including people from Hong Kong and Macau, are now allowed to transit through Taoyuan International Airport. Holders of People’s Republic of China (PRC) passports will not be permitted to transit in Taiwan. Those transiting will need to board connecting flights of the same airline company they fly in on. Transits must last less than 8 hours. Transit passengers who need to wait for more than one hour will remain separate from other passengers and stay in a separate area. For more information on Taiwan’s travel restriction policy, see here.
Paradoxically, Hawaii adopted pretty much the same extreme measures for visitors and is now fighting a surge which I predicted would occur.
Clearly the problem is less about policy and more about biology.
My state just renewed a lockdown for 2 weeks, and it won’t accomplish a damned thing.