Asia

Taiwan Issues New Australia, Canada, NZ & US Travel Advisory

Effective today, March 19th, Taiwan has added Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA to countries falling under its Level 3 travel warning criteria.

Announced by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday, a Level 3 designation urges travelers against all but essential travel.

The COVID-19 virus is spreading in all four nations, with the US particularly affected. As of today the number of infected people in the USA is almost 10,000, with 155 deaths.

Australia meanwhile has recorded 636 infections with 36 deaths, Canada 727 infections and 9 deaths, and New Zealand 28 cases with no deaths to date. The wife of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau was one of the first high-profile victims of the disease.

Anyone traveling to any of these nations will be required to stay at home in quarantine for 14 days when they return. Additionally, those entering Taiwan from Level 3 nations will forfeit any right to the government’s NT $1000 daily allowance during quarantine.

In a report published by Taiwan’s Central News Agency, and quoting the CECC, this was in part attributed to “a small number of people who intentionally traveled abroad in order to claim.”

97 nations have now been added to Taiwan’s Level 3 warning list.

Earlier in the week there were questions raised in Taiwan as to travel warnings to the US only deeming Washington state, California, and New York worthy of a Level 3 label despite thousands of cases across the country.

Mark Buckton

Mark is a journalism vet of 20 years with most of those years spent in Tokyo, Japan, as a columnist for The Japan Times and numerous other publications. His work has appeared on CNN, in the BBC, NPR, and in several dozen other media forms and publications across five continents.