Taiwan further eases COVID-related border controls

TAIPEI, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan will increase the number of inbound arrivals from 50,000 to 60,000 per week starting Sept. 29, as it further relaxes its border restrictions related to COVID-19 prevention, according to an announcement from the island's disease monitoring agency on Thursday.

After the updated regulations kick in, saliva PCR test upon arrival will no longer be required but the quarantine protocol for inbound travelers shall remain unchanged, the agency said.

The weekly limit on the number of inbound arrivals has been gradually raised from 25,000 to 50,000 since June, while the pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement for inbound arrivals was eliminated in August.

The COVID-19 response measures will be further adjusted in due course depending on the epidemic situation, and it is expected that by October, inbound travelers will no longer be required to undergo home isolation, the agency noted.

Taiwan reported 42,212 new local COVID-19 cases and 59 deaths from the disease over the past 24 hours, the agency said Thursday, adding that the accumulated number of local infections ever recorded on the island has exceeded 6 million.