Taiwan slaps coronavirus entry ban on foreigners travelling from mainland China

Island bars non-Chinese citizens who have been on the mainland in the last 14 days

56 people have died of H1N1 flu virus-affected respiratory failure in the past three months, according to Taiwan’s Centres for Disease Control

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People buy face masks in a shop in Taiwan, where only 10 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have been reported. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 7:45am, 4 Feb 2020Updated: 6:12pm, 14 Feb 2020

Foreigners who have been in mainland China over the past 14 days will be banned from entering Taiwan from Friday due to health concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The announcement is part of the latest measures by the self-ruled island to curb the spread of the coronavirus, first reported in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province.

Foreign nationals seeking to enter Taiwan for special reasons can apply for an entry visa as long as they have not visited or stayed in mainland areas severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak, including Hubei, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces, according to the ministry.

They must also provide documents of their travel history in the past 14 days, a health certificate and various other paperwork.

But the travel ban would not apply to foreigners living in Hong Kong or Macau, the ministry said.

In addition, Taiwan’s coastguard stepped up patrols around the resort island of Penghu to disperse mainland fishing boats intruding into the island’s waters.

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