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every passenger coming to Taiwan from Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore or Toronto, Canada will be quarantined for 10 days.


http://www.etaiwannews.com/Taiwan/2003/04/29/1051577985.htm

Flights canceled as CAA quarantines SARS area arrivals

2003-04-29 / Taiwan News, Staff Reporter / By Taijing Wu
The Civil Aviation Administration confirmed late Sunday night that every passenger coming to Taiwan from Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore or Toronto, Canada will be quarantined for 10 days.

The policy caused airlines to cancel flights to Taiwan from Hong Kong and Singapore yesterday. Hong Kong's airport authority said Hong Kong, Taiwanese and foreign airlines together canceled 32 flights to Taipei and nine flights to Kaohsiung.

Despite the stricter restrictions on incoming passengers to combat the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome the government is not considering suspending services to and from Hong Kong because of the serious consequences of such a move, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (林陵三) said yesterday.

The latest travel restrictions will apply to passengers of all nationalities who have taken flights originating in the listed SARS-stricken areas.

However, foreigners from non-SARS hit areas who make transit stops in Hong Kong will not be required to undergo the mandatory quarantine, according to a statement released by the Mainland Affairs Council yesterday. Quarantined foreigners will be confined for 10 days in government appointed hotels, while Taiwanese citizens can choose to be confined to their homes.

Anyone who fails to comply with the rules will be subject to a punishment of up to two years in jail or a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000.

Arriving passengers will be required to sign a certificate prepared by the Center for Disease Control agreeing to be quarantined. These forms will serve as proof to travelers' companies that they are taking an imposed leave of absence.

Flight crews will also be isolated in appointed hotels, but they can leave the country on their next scheduled flight.

The policy has complicated the scheduling of international carriers.

China Airlines, Taiwan's largest air carrier, said it canceled four of its 11 scheduled flights from Hong Kong yesterday. Singapore Airlines canceled one flight from Singapore, an airline spokesman said.

Hong Kong's No. 2 carrier, Dragonair, said yesterday it would fly to Taipei once instead of three times a day, while it would operate one instead of two daily flights to Kaohsiung, beginning today.

State-run China Broadcasting Corp. said only one Cathay Pacific flight arrived from Hong Kong, carrying 24 passengers to the eerily empty Taipei International Airport.

A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman said the airline would operate six flights between Hong Kong and Taipei yesterday. A few flights were canceled last week and Taiwan's new travel restrictions have yet to affect the flight schedule, Maria Yu said.

"We are monitoring the situation closely to decide our next step as their (Taiwan's) policies have been changing rather quickly," Yu said.

Cathay crew members were immediately flying back to Hong Kong or Tokyo so they would not be affected by Taiwan's quarantine order, said another Cathay official, Lisa Wong.

Although the airline industry is cutting service, Minister of Transportation Lin told the Legislative Yuan yesterday that his ministry is assessing the impact of such a suspension, but whether the move is necessary to contain the spread of SARS is a medical question that will be answered by the Department of Health.

Given that a 10-day quarantine period for all visitors from areas affected by SARS only took force Monday, Lin said the government will review its effect after two weeks.