March 20, 2020
No.75
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced on March 20 that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has become a global pandemic, as the number of recently confirmed cases in Latin America, Africa, and Oceania continues to rapidly increase. Since international travelers currently run a heightened risk of infection, the CECC has announced that the travel notice for all countries will now be raised to Level 3: Warning, effective 00:00 Taipei Standard Time (GMT+8) on March 21. The CECC emphasizes that citizens should avoid any nonessential travel abroad and that all inbound travelers will be subject to a 14-day home quarantine upon arrival in Taiwan.
To protect the health of Taiwan nationals and ensure their safe travel, MOFA, in accordance with the CECC’s recommendation, is raising the travel advisory to Red—the highest level—for all countries and regions. Citizens are advised not to travel abroad. The new travel alert will take effect at 00:00 Taipei Standard Time (GMT+8) on March 21. MOFA will continue to update travel alerts as global circumstances change and in accordance with CECC announcements.
MOFA reminds citizens that, as a precautionary measure during this period, all nonessential travel overseas should be avoided. In case of emergency, Taiwan nationals already abroad should contact the nearest ROC (Taiwan) overseas mission for assistance. (E)