SARS Effectively Contained in Taiwan—Business Visitors Welcome
Taiwan initiated its SARS prevention measures very early, so that local transmission has been very limited, and effectively controlled. Moreover, there have been no SARS deaths in Taiwan and no cases of Taiwanese people spreading the disease abroad. After the first suspected case appeared on March 14, 2003, Taiwan immediately took the initiative to report it to the World Health Organization (WHO) and its office for the West Pacific region. As of April 16, there have been 27 possible cases, of which only three may be attributed to local transmission. These have not yet caused any death or a spread of the disease through local communities. Through the comprehensive efforts of our government agencies and medical organizations, SARS has been effectively contained in Taiwan.
Due to these efforts, the WHO removed Taiwan from its list of areas hit hardest by SARS on April 12. Taiwan is now listed together with the U.S. and the U.K. as an “area with limited local transmission and no evidence of international spread since March 15, and no transmission other than close person-to-person contact.” Taiwan’s present status is thus different from that of areas like Toronto, Singapore, Hanoi, Mainland China (Canton, Beijing and Shanxi), and Hong Kong, where widespread transmission has occurred.
To prevent the spread of SARS, Taiwan has adopted many strict quarantine measures. For example, all passengers either arriving at or departing from Taiwan’s international airports are required to fill out a “SARS Survey Form,” and all arriving passengers are asked to have their temperature taken with a digital ear thermometer. A new set of regulations, the “Guidelines for the Treatment and Control of SARS on International Airline Flights,” has been enacted, and plans for other related situations have been developed. All these measures are intended to prevent the arrival of SARS patients from abroad. Therefore, there is no need for foreign business visitors to Taiwan to worry about their safety. Meanwhile, Taiwan is treating all arriving travelers the same, regardless of whether they come from a SARS affected region or not. For detailed quarantine measures, please refer to website of the Department of Health as follows: http://www.cdc.gov.tw
Taiwan would like you to understand that coming to Taiwan at present poses no risk to your health. All economic and trade-related activities, such as trade fairs, are continuing as scheduled. Whether you are visiting Taiwan as part of a group or traveling as an individual, you may conduct your business or attend exhibitions as usual.
If you need any information on trade fairs, exhibitions and other business activities taking place in Taiwan or on scheduled visits to your country by Taiwanese business groups, please contact the economic unit of our representative office in your country or the China External Trade Development Council (CETRA).