Taiwan Ends Mandatory Isolation for COVID-19 Cases... After 38 Months

Taiwan is abolishing the mandatory isolation for COVID-19 infected individuals after 38 months.

On January 2nd of this year, when the government reinstated the mandatory COVID-19 PCR testing for arrivals from China, quarantine officials at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 were providing testing guidance to arrivals from China in the arrival hall. / Yeongjongdo - Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

According to Taiwan Central News Agency on the 19th, starting from the 20th, Taiwan will eliminate the mandatory 5-day isolation for mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infections along with the requirement to report to authorities.

Accordingly, those who test positive on rapid antigen tests will no longer need to report to authorities, but are instead advised to monitor their health condition for ten days. Only severe patients requiring hospitalization will be reported to the authorities.

Special handling and expedited cremation regulations for COVID-19 related deaths will also be abolished.

Symptomatic COVID-19 patients are advised to stay home until symptoms improve or wear masks whenever going out, but this is not mandatory.

However, the Ministry of Education recommends that teachers and students who test positive for COVID-19 refrain from attending in-person classes for five days despite the policy changes.

Mandatory isolation for confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan has been in effect for over three years since January 15, 2020.

As the COVID-19 infection rate has eased, Taiwan authorities lifted the outdoor mask mandate on December 1 last year and the indoor mask mandate on the 20th of last month.

Taiwan, with a population of about 23 million, has recorded over 10.22 million cumulative COVID-19 infections and 18,732 related deaths.

Recently, Taiwan’s daily new infection numbers have been around 8,000 to 9,000.