Taiwan to Repatriate Chinese Group Tourists by the 28th

Over 6,000 Chinese Group Tourists Staying in Taiwan

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] Taiwanese authorities have decided to send all 6,000 Chinese group tourists currently visiting Taiwan back to their home country by the 28th. This measure is in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) that originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

According to local media such as Taiwan TTV on the 26th, Taiwanese authorities announced this repatriation plan at a press conference the previous day. It was reported that there are currently a total of 358 Chinese group tourist teams, amounting to 6,494 people staying in Taiwan. Taiwanese authorities have already requested cooperation from each travel agency.

An official stated, "Among the three confirmed cases of Wuhan pneumonia in Taiwan, 17 members of the group tour, excluding the confirmed patient, have already left Taiwan," adding, "We are currently checking the health status of four group tours totaling 56 people from Wuhan and four group tours totaling 63 people from Hubei Province."

Another official mentioned that tourists residing in Hubei Province will be denied boarding on flights to Taiwan and that travel groups from Taiwan to China will be temporarily banned until the 31st.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese media reported that a suspected case of Wuhan pneumonia occurred on the evening of the previous day on Penghu Island, a famous tourist destination in western Taiwan, resulting in four people, including a 21-year-old woman and a 38-year-old woman, being admitted to negative pressure isolation rooms. These suspected patients visited Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and Shanghai, respectively, and developed symptoms such as coughing and high fever before visiting the hospital.